


Unearthed

by quicklion



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Original Pokemon Region, Pokemon - Freeform, anyways have fun this is a kids book, i know yall dont like oc fics but Please i swear its interesting, no one says fuck, sorry for a ton of character tags im just like. listing their pokemon lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-05-09 12:25:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 31,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14716011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quicklion/pseuds/quicklion
Summary: In the Ozoic region, fossil Pokémon roam free in the wild, repopulated by "Mission Rebirth," a job carried out by the scientists of the region for decades. These fossil Pokémon were taken advantage by the evil Team Genesis, only for the team's plan to backfire in its face.Ten years later, Team Genesis has reformed, and it's up to the Professor's daughter, Cera Wollemia, her brother Emil, and their close friend, Amber Cycad, to protect their home and the people and Pokémon in it.─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─This fanfic is really a joint project between me and my friend, made from us bouncing ideas off one another until we came up with this. It's an original region with Pokémon carefully picked for it (and yes, it was a lengthy process). It's still a work in progress, so it'll be updating a chapter a week, every Friday.─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─Link to the map of the region: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/419573870522269726/429358516147453952/1522233522947.jpg





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> hey lads this is just some info since this isnt based totally on canon stuff. i might update this chapter so check it out once in awhile ig

I based this fic on a lot of my own headcanons on mechanics in Pokémon. This isn't required reading, but it's greatly suggested.

─────────

• Pokémon are composed of different elemental substances, known commonly as "Types." For example, a Fire Type would mostly be composed of Fire matter, but might have some Normal type in it as well, allowing it to know other types of moves, such as Normal.

• Pokémon that gain a typing upon evolution have that substance before evolution, but it simply grows during the process enough to be classified as a "type" for the Pokémon (i.e. Charmeleon > Charizard).

• Substances have different reactions when meeting other substances, which is mainly how Type matchup works.

• Attacks are expelling of this material, which is why a Pokémon could be attacked and only pass out but still die of freezing weather that isn't caused by a Pokémon, or other physical damage.

• This also means that a Pokémon could survive a powerful attack but sustain damage if harmed by a man-made weapon, fall damage, etc. They could also heal easily from an attack such as Flamethrower, but need extra medical attention from a kick that isn't a move.

• Humans also have this material, but their genetic makeup is completely different; they don't have types and can't use attacks, but they can survive effects of Pokémon (a human could die in a house fire but survive a Flamethrower attack from their Pokémon). Additionally, both Pokémon and people have evolved to be more physically capable, so humans could hold a heavier Pokémon with ease, etc.

• Female Pokémon have more dominant DNA in breeding, which is why only their typing material is passed into the egg as opposed to a Pokémon with mixed typing.

• When Pokémon faint, they explode to a natural state of the material existing without a shell (It appears as a glittery powder). If wild, it retreats back to a spawn point; caught Pokémon automatically retreat to the ball to regenerate their shell.

• Pokémon only really "faint" in a formal battle; if they're attacked and depleted of health, they'll be unable to battle, but can't actually faint.

• Spawn points are on routes or other areas Pokémon appear. They appear after a certain amount of wild Pokémon have fainted in one area and allow for the Pokémon to regenerate and appear again from anywhere to a few seconds to an hour later.

• Pokémon are typically in a Poké Ball for up to two hours if they explode. Losing only health points will heal instantly once returned, and status conditions take about half an hour to heal, as they are damage to the shell.

• Spawn points typically appear as a crystal, though they can really be anything; for some species it may appear as a cloud in the sky and there's no limit to how many can exist in an area. Different species can spawn from the same point.

• Eggs are actually quite small, as they are the material and energy concentrated. They crack when the given shell can no longer stop the atoms from moving, and the material forms its own shape.

• Pokémon like Ditto, Eevee, etc., do have the typing makeup of any other Pokémon, however they have more control and are able to change it at will.

• Pokémon like Castform, Rotom, Shaymin, etc, have very sensitive makeup that causes their form to change easily.

• There have been experiments of trying to mix two Pokémon's genetic makeup, but they will naturally repel each other and the experiment can potentially harm the Pokémon, so they're banned as a rule of thumb.

• Sizes listed in the Pokédex are merely on average. There have been Pikachu at two feet tall or only ten inches; things vary depending on the Pokémon's own ancestors and lifestyle.

• Pokémon all speak a common language through their cries, and it's best to think of it as the same language but each species speaking its own dialect, and some of the same species from different areas may have an even more different dialect. Some Pokémon, namely Chatot, have been known to replicate human speech, but there is nothing exact outside of Psychic communication.

• When Pokémon evolve, they need to concentrate on their genetic makeup changing, so it's hard to evolve in stressful or startling situations, which is why scaring your Pokémon can put off evolution for a while. However, not all Pokémon scare easily.

• Pokémon who move best in an exclusive, specific area (i.e. fish Pokémon), can survive outside of water easily and without an issue, though their movements can be limited.

• It's impossible to physically capture a Legendary Pokémon in a Poké Ball, and it's considered unlawful to try and capture a Legendary Pokémon to be your own by other means.

• While not unlawful, it is frowned upon to capture Mythical Pokémon, and they are usually protected by the law or Pokémon Rangers nearby. People who chase Mythicals down for the sole purpose to proving their existence or to see them are seen as strange, but they aren't shunned.


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> background knowledge. we all have fun here.

Our story begins in the Ozoic region, home of rehabilitated fossilization. Starting forty years prior, the region launched an important job: Mission Rebirth, led by the Champion, and later Professor, Richard Wollemia.

The mission's goal was to create "breeding centers" across the region to repopulate Pokémon known as "fossil" Pokémon. Sure, other regions had restoration labs for fossils, but regardless of individual Trainers breeding their Pokémon, they still remained elusive and endangered.

So, with the help of his teenage son, Pine, and other Trainers he was close with, Wollemia launched the mission, and within less than three decades, former "fossil" Pokémon roamed the region. They were just like any other wild Pokémon, and the people lived in harmony with them. Fossil stations still were placed around the region, but with fewer, as they became less needed.

At that time, ten years prior to our story, an organization began to harness this change in the region. Before what was dubbed as the "restoration period," some people believed fossil Pokémon were fossils because they were too violent to live with humans, too powerful. Of course, now people knew that people and fossil Pokémon could coexist, but they were still known to be exemplary in battle. They _were_ powerful.

A group known as Team Genesis rose up, and after several failed experiments, created the ultimate beast: Genesect. Formed from the body of a Kabutops, it was a creature of destruction. Team Genesis created an army of these Pokémon, reigning terror across the region, and they almost succeeded in completely taking over.

All of the Genesect were controlled by a programming held by one of the leaders of the team, an intimidating man who was known only as "Mr. D" by lower ranking members. He could control the Genesect at will, and had an army at his fingertips. His wife, known as Delilah (though some doubt that being her real name), controlled the Team itself, and she was oftentimes more scary than her husband.

They had the region in the palm of their hands, and nearly did take control of everything.

One faithful day, though, something happened. Suddenly, the Genesect weren't listening to commands. In fact, they did the opposite. Like a machine, they turned and instead attacked the Team Genesis base. Most of the team made it out alive and went into hiding, but Mr. D and Delilah were confirmed casualties. The only thing they left behind were the Poké Balls containing their partner Pokémon.


	3. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here's the lads

Cera always considered her upbringing to be pretty standard. She had a good childhood, even if one dad was away on work a lot, they still called constantly and she knew he loved her, her brother, and her dad at home.

Having both parents be professors was like that, though. Of course, they would always make up for time away with a cool fossil or stone, or show the kids new research on a Pokémon from a faraway region, like Sinnoh or Unova.

Usually it was just one or the other, but if there was a time when both dads were out it just meant her and her brother would get to spend the night with their friend Amber. Cera and Amber had known each other since they were young, and Emil, her brother, was welcomed into their friendship as soon as he came to live with Cera and her dads.

In the Ozoic region, there weren't any unique Pokémon, and the league actually utilized all of the "starter" Pokémon, rotating which set would be used on a yearly basis.

Additionally, Trainers began their journeys at the age of fourteen. Both Cera and Amber were now sixteen, but had agreed to wait two more years so they could leave on the journey with Emil.

Speaking of, that day would be today. Emil was finally fourteen, just in time for the league's cycle to begin for the year.

Cera and Amber both had Pokémon already, a Cranidos and Aerodactyl given to them respectively when they turned fourteen so that they wouldn't feel they were missing out. It had taken nearly no time for Cera to train her Cranidos into a Rampardos, but she had yet to best Amber in battle.

But that wouldn't deter her from trying.

"Rampardos, Iron Head!" Cera shouted. Her partner shook away the pain endured from its opponent's previous attack, turning to glare at the other Pokémon.

On the other side of the lab's battlefield was Amber, curly brown hair pulled back. Her Aerodactyl landed neatly beside her, the glow of its wings fading from using Steel Wing. She pointed across the field confidently. "Counter it with Ice Fang!"

Between the two of them, sitting on the sidelines, was Cera's brother, Emil. Even though he hasn't started his journey, he still had a Pokémon as well. An Absol, which followed him at his heels constantly. No one knew where it had come from; in fact, it was Emil's only belonging when they adopted him from child services. Even clothes were borrowed, but his Absol was all his. And it had really held up to its reputation of knowing when disaster would strike--Emil hadn't seen so much as a paper cut as long as his Absol was around.

Aerodactyl leapt into the air, swooping down to meet Rampardos as it leapt up, head glowing with a metal sheen. Aerodactyl jerked downwards, letting Rampardos jump over it before clamping its jaws around Rampardos's torso. Ice sparkled from its fangs and spread across the other Rock Type's body. Rampardos shuddered in the air for a moment before bursting into brown smoke.

Cera cursed under her breath as the smoke returned to the Poké Ball in her hand. She crossed her arms, watching Amber run over to pet her partner.

"Amber, you don't even _want_ to be strong, you're trying to be a Coordinator!" Cera called across the battlefield.

Amber stuck her tongue out at Cera, pulling out a Poké Ball to return Aerodactyl. "Maybe you should train Rampardos more," she said, as if that wasn't what Cera spent all of her free time doing. "If it makes you feel better, Emil's Absol can beat both of us, easy."

Cera glanced over at Emil, who was sitting cross-legged and grooming Absol's mane. His good battling ability was even more frustrating. He didn't want to be good at _any_ kind of battling; he aspired to be a professor like their father.

"It's whatever," Cera said, heading across the field to meet Amber in the middle. "We're leaving today, so I'll get a chance to battle other people. I'm sure I can beat some of them."

"Hopefully," Amber said with a teasing nudge and a smirk.

─ ─ ─ ─ ─

"So, this year's starter set is from Johto," Professor Pine Wollemia was saying. "I know you guys already have Pokémon, but ever since Trainers started just leaving from home, we've had a lot less Trainers coming down here. And I'd hate to deprive some Pokémon of an adventure."

It used to be tradition for Trainers to contact the professor and head to Aplite Town for starters, but that was dying out. So, sometimes he ended up with spare starters. This year, though, no one had come down.

The three teens stood in the lab. They had received their Pokédexes and were now listening to the professor, though none of them were exactly listening. They'd heard this monologue many times before, when other Trainers began their journeys here.

"--So, you'll need to be careful out there," Wollemia was saying. "I know you're all good with Pokémon, but the outside world isn't the lab's backyard. Make sure you--"

"--Stick together and keep each other safe," Cera finished, the slightest inflection of boredom in her tone. "We'll be fine, Dad."

The professor paused before sighing. "I know, it just really throws me for the loop knowing that you're all leaving today."

"Can we look at the Pokémon?" Emil asked politely.

"Sure," the professor responded. "They're from Johto, like I told you all. Come on out, guys!"

In a flash, the three starters appeared in front of them. One was blue with big fangs, another was green with a leaf sprouting from its head, and the third looked blue and cream. It stretched, letting flames burst from its back.

"Totodile, Chikorita, and Cyndaquil," he said, gesturing to each in turn. "Water, Grass, and Fire. Take your pick."

"Emil can pick first, it is his big day after all," Amber offered. Cera nodded in agreement.

He gave the girls a hesitant look before stepping forward to look the Pokémon over. "Chikorita evolves into Meganium, right?"

His father nodded. "Yes."

"I want Chikorita, then," he decided. "It's really pretty, and it looks like a Grass Type Amaura."

"Bayleef, maybe," Cera muttered to Amber, who gave her a nudge to be quiet.

Wollemia handed the Poké Ball to his son, who smiled and pulled Chikorita into his arms.

"Alright girls, have you decided?" Wollemia asked, turning to Cera and Amber.

Amber nodded. "I've always wanted to train Fire Types for my Contests, so I want Cyndaquil," she said cheerfully.

"And I kind of decided on Totodile the second it came out of its Poké Ball," Cera added sheepishly.

"That's easy, then," the professor said, handing them each the Ball for their Pokémon. Cyndaquil looked up at Amber before trotting over to nudge her leg, and Totodile looked around for a moment before making a beeline for Cera, who managed to catch it before it could bite her. Albeit affectionately, but it still could injure her.

Wollemia watched the three kids for a moment before speaking again. "Since he knew he'd be in Hoenn for this, Connor told me to...play a video he took for you guys. Absolutely over the top, your father."

Wollemia looked embarrassed to play it, but Emil and Cera exchanged an excited glance. They didn't see their other father too often, so they'd take what they could.

The monitor screen lit up, as did the siblings' faces when they saw the other Wollemia adjusting the camera. His partners, two Pineco, bounced into view, on either side of him.

"When you see this video, I should be in Hoenn for my research," he started. "But I'm back in Aplite Town in spirit, and I hope you all chose your starters without any incident. Make sure to be safe and have fun, I love you guys. Talk to you when I can!"

His third Pokémon, a Ferrothorn (which Cera guessed was newly evolved since it had been a Ferroseed last she saw it) suddenly dropped into view in the background, evidently hanging from the ceiling. Connor jumped in his seat, spinning around to see it. He shouted, standing up. "Ferrothorn, get down from there!" he called. He glanced back at the camera. "I'll edit this out later," he muttered before turning to his Pokémon again.

One of the Pineco looked at the camera, made a noise that Cera guessed was a giggle (though it sounded like grass rustling), and then the video ended.

"Is Dad okay?" Emil asked, eyes round with concern.

"Yeah, he's fine," Wollemia responded, shaking his head. "His video editing skills sure aren't, though."

Cera forced back a laugh. "I'm glad his research is going well, at least," she commented.

Her father shot her a _don't make fun of your other dad_ look before sighing. "Okay, if I keep you all here any longer it'll be dark out," he said. "You all better get going."

He pulled Cera into a hug, then Emil. He paused, then hugged Amber as well, as she was a family friend at that point.

They said their goodbyes before heading out of the lab, waving to Wollemia.

"What does Connor even research?" Amber asked. "Like, Wollemia researches fossil Pokémon, right? What's your other dad do?"

Cera nodded before exchanging an amused glance with her brother. "So, you know how Pokémon can be categorized by body type and stuff?"

Amber nodded.

"He researches Pokémon categorized as 'just a head.'"

"Is he like, researching how their bodies function in comparison to others?"

"No, he just really likes them," Cera said. "Like, he has two Pineco. He can't get enough of them."

Amber paused. "That's a, uh, really specific field."

"I know, right? He's so-- What the..?" Cera looked down, having felt something brushing against her leg. Looking up at her was a Glameow, which she immediately recognized as her father's.

"Oh, it's just Glameow," she muttered. Glameow had a habit of going missing, so it didn't really surprise her to see it following them out. She bent down to lift it, holding the Pokémon up. "Go back to Dad, you can't come with us," she told it.

Glameow lowered its ears indignantly, but still turned back to the lab once it was set down. It chirped at them, waving its curly tail before bounding away.

"Okay, can we leave now?" Cera said, sighing. Emil and Amber forced back giggles.

─ ─ ─ ─ ─

"Route 51!" Cera announced cheerfully, banging the sign with the back of her hand. "First leg of the journey."

"It's a pretty short route," Amber observed. "Do you think we'll meet any Trainers before Porphyry Town?"

"I dunno," Cera responded. "Maybe. Do you see anyone?"

Amber looked ahead, and Emil grimaced as he scouted from where he stood. "Looks pretty empty, Cera."

"Yeah," Amber agreed. At the sight of Cera slumping down in disappointment, she added, "I could battle you, though!"

Cera perked up a bit. "Really?"

"Sure. It'll be an even match, too, since both Cyndaquil and Totodile are inexperienced."

That sold Cera. "Alright!" she agreed. "Emil, ref for us!"

The two girls stood at either side of the path, Cera visibly more excited. Her Totodile was very much like its Trainer, jumping and bouncing in anticipation.

Amber looked down at her Pokédex for a moment, scanning Cyndaquil, before raising her eyebrows slightly. "Oh, cool. Cyndaquil, Double Kick!"

A step ahead, Cera snapped her Pokédex shut, eyes narrowed. "Quick, Totodile, Aqua Jet!"

Cyndaquil leapt in the air, hind legs glowing with orange light. It flipped, ready to strike, but Totodile suddenly enveloped itself in water, swerving out of the way.

"Dodge it!" Amber interjected.

Totodile slammed down towards Cyndaquil, but it quickly sidestepped, letting the Water Type crash into the ground.

Cera grit her teeth. "Totodile, Scratch!"

This time it landed its attack, sending Cyndaquil flying backwards. The Fire Type bounced a couple of times before falling still, but was on its feet again in a second.

"Tackle, go!" Amber called.

"Scratch it again!" Cera shot back.

Cyndaquil leapt at Totodile, who met it with another Scratch attack, throwing it in the air. Totodile leapt up after it, scratching it again. This time, Cyndaquil exploded into orange smoke, floating back to its Poké Ball.

"Yes!" Cera shouted, hugging Totodile as it ran back to her excitedly. "Finally!"

Emil headed over to join Amber as she looked down at Cyndaquil's Poké Ball, giving it a small smile.

"Did you lose on purpose?" Emil asked with a knowing look.

Amber jumped a bit, looking at him. "What? No," she said quickly. "I think Cera's just getting better now that she has other Pokémon to work with."

He looked at her for a moment, visibly skeptical. "Sure," he responded.

When Emil walked over to Cera, she had her Rampardos out as well, grinning as she introduced the Pokémon.

"This is Totodile, it actually beat Amber!" she told her partner excitedly. Rampardos tilted its head, looking down at Totodile.

"Hey, Cera, I think if we move fast enough we can get to Porphyry City by nightfall," Emil told her. 

"Yeah?" she replied. "Cool! Let's go then, if Amber's all ready." She grinned, returning Rampardos.

The three Trainers started down the path, which was full of wild Pokémon.

"I think they'll leave us alone if we do the same, but we should still be careful," Amber thought out loud. Emil and Cera nodded in agreement. None of the wild Pokémon were going out of their way to bother them, but there were a couple Spearow and Starly swooping awfully low.

They managed to make it to the city without incident, sighing with relief as they saw the Pokémon Center.

"I thought one of those Starly was gonna take an inch off my head," Cera admitted as they reached it.

They entered the Poké Center, the sliding glass doors automatically opening for them. To their surprise, Trainers were crowded around the counter, speaking to the nurses. Several Clefable tried to tend to the crowd, chirping in reassurance. A couple officers were there as well, speaking to Trainers.

"What's going on..?" Cera muttered. She blinked, looking down to see a Clefairy pulling at her pant leg. At the sound of footsteps, she looked up to see a nurse there.

"Can we help you?" she asked kindly.

"Yeah, can you explain what this is all about?" Amber asked, gesturing to the crowd.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" the nurse asked. "There's been reports of Pokémon theft all over Ozoic lately."

"Pokémon theft?" Emil echoed, holding Chikorita a little bit more closely.

The nurse nodded. "The strangest thing is that they only seem to be targeting fossil Pokémon, which is just bizarre, since it isn't like those are rare around here."

Amber nodded. "Yeah, that is weird."

Emil stiffened, and Cera put a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, you've got Absol, they won't mess with you," she assured him. He mumbled something undistinguished, nodding and looking down at his feet.

"Is there anything we can do?" Cera asked.

"It's best to just keep an eye on your Pokémon; watch out for others," she said. "There isn't much we can do until the police are able to identify the thieves."

Cera glanced at the cops, uncertain. She didn't say anything, though, just nodding. "Can we stay the night here?"

The nurse nodded quickly. "Of course! We'll get you a room right away. Come on, Clefairy."

The pair disappeared through one of the doors behind the counter, leaving the teens to their own devices. "That is...really weird, though," Cera commented. "There hasn't been that kind of stuff since ten years ago."

Amber nodded, glancing over at Emil, who was blankly staring downwards, letting Chikorita try and soothe him by stroking his face with its leaf.

"Emil?" she said gently. "You alright?"

Emil jumped a bit as he looked up, but nodded. "I'm fine, just worried."

"It'll be okay," Amber assured him. "We're tough."

Emil nodded, and both girls could see relief visibly wash over him as the nurse called for them to come to their room. The walls and beds were pristine white and pink, and there was a device on the wall to put their Poké Balls into to heal their Pokémon.

"Too bad we can't live here, huh," Cera joked, returning Totodile.

By the time they settled in, it was well already dark. Cera held her pillow tightly, and could make out the figure of Emil, his back to her. His Absol was curled on his legs, its red eyes staring back at her. It slowly closed them, resting its head on Emil's side.

She just hoped her brother would feel better by the morning.


	4. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emil Challenges The Mob

When they woke up, the Pokémon Center was in even more disarray than the night before.

Cera watched it from the doorway of their room, glancing back to her companions. "I think we should pack our stuff and leave now if we wanna get moving quickly."

Once packed, they managed to navigate through the crowd easily, making their way to the exit.

"Should we investigate those thieves?" Emil piped up as they walked through the sliding glass doors. "I mean, they're causing a lot of trouble."

Cera shared her brother's interest in checking out the criminals, though she was looking for adventure as opposed to his more...righteous cause. But she reminded herself that she had to be the responsible older sister.

"It's dangerous," she told him. On her shoulder, Totodile looked disappointed.

"I have Absol," he countered, gesturing to the white and blue Pokémon next to him.

Cera sent Amber a helpless glance, not exactly sure how to argue with that.

"Fine, we'll go check it out, but no wandering away, got it?" Amber told Emil. It was true, he has wandered a lot as a child, daydreaming and forgetting to stay with his sister and friend. "We stick together." Her Cyndaquil gave a nod of agreement, perched on her head.

"Okay," he agreed.

The city of Porphyry was a pretty simple and basic area. Its biggest attraction was its education centers--there were several schools set up around the town, with only one that required registration. The rest were "day" courses that were volunteer work and that anyone could walk into to learn something new. There were regulars there, and the schools were mostly used by those and passing Trainers.

"Hey! Get back here!"

The three of them jumped as they heard shouting, immediately followed by a man running by, chased by a police officer. A few yards away they could see a little kid, holding his sister's hand and looking on the verge of tears.

"What happened?" Cera asked them, running over.

"That guy, he took my brother's Shieldon," his sister said, looking worried.

Cera glanced over at Emil, feeling a pang of sympathy for the girl. She knelt down, patting the kid's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get it back," she told him, because she had faith that the criminal had already outran the cop.

She turned to Amber, eyes narrowed. "Okay, let's--what're you looking for?"

Amber was looking around urgently, Cyndaquil on the ground next to her, crying out.

It took a moment, because she had grown so accustomed over the years, but she realized as well.

"Emil! Emil, where'd you go?!" she yelled out, feeling panic welling in her.

"He ran that way," the girl said quickly, pointing.

Whipping around, both girls could make out Emil, his Absol keeping up.

"That's the same direction as the thief," Amber said quietly.

Cera was already running after him, Totodile clinging to her back. She weaved between people in the street, ignoring and dashing past the police officer as he called for her to stop. Apparently he had given up on the chase and was calling for backup, but was acting far too slow.

Hearing the pounding of running footsteps, she turned to see Amber catching up to her. She threw out a Poké Ball, Aerodactyl bursting into the air.

"Go fly after Emil!" Amber called. It screeched in response, gliding ahead of them.

They kept running through the streets, watching Aerodactyl swoop down occasionally before it paused, circling a spot.

When they reached it, they turned a corner just as Emil cried out, "Absol, use Double Team!"

Absol barked, copies of it bursting into life to surround a figure cornered by the alleyway they stood in. The figure, a man, stumbled to his feet, and Cera recognized him as the thief.

He had short, red, and scruffy hair, and tight, dark brown clothing, a khaki vest and shorts over it. He was wearing black combat boots, fingerless gloves, and the gleam of something metallic on his arm. And he had a stolen Poké Ball in his hand.

"Absol, Psycho Cut!" Emil called. Absol's blade glowed pink, and it swung its head in a slashing motion, sending the blade of light at the thief. He quickly pointed with his arm, metal flashing against the sky. Suddenly, they were surrounded by light, and Cera felt something brush against her as the thief ran past.

Once the light faded, Cera could make out Emil starting to run after the thief, so she grabbed his arm, yanking him back. Absol barked defiantly at her, matching the glare she got from her brother, but she ignored them both.

"Emil, you could have gotten hurt," she told him, trying to sound strict, though she wasn't great at it.

Emil slumped a bit, sighing. "I wanted to help that kid."

"I know," she said. "There isn't much any of us could do. It was--what was that?"

Cera made eye contact with Amber, who was staring behind them. The siblings slowly turned around, jumping as they saw a Luxray, slinking towards them, teeth bared.

"That must be that guy's Pokémon," Cera muttered. "Emil, get out of here."

He opened his mouth to argue, but stopped as he saw his sister was serious, and nodded before taking off around the corner, Absol close behind.

"Rampardos!" Cera called, throwing out her partner. The Rock Type burst out, charging the Luxray. The Luxray reared back to attack, but Rampardos ducked, headbutting it and sending it slamming against the wall. Rampardos ran at it again, but the Luxray stood up, as if to attack, before lightly jumping over Rampardos's head, and running past Amber and Cera.

"Don't let it get to Emil!" Cera called. Amber waved her arm to Aerodactyl, who swooped from above, gliding after the Luxray.

"Cera, look," Amber called, pointing. Turning, Cera could see that the thief had left a Poké Ball on the ground in his escape. She quickly picked it up.

"It's Shieldon, I think," she told Amber.

After a moment, they heard the screech of Aerodactyl and watched as it glided back into the alleyway. It landed, tucking in its wings as it looked up at Amber.

"Is Emil safe?" she asked.

Aerodactyl nodded, and as it did they heard footsteps before seeing Emil peek around the corner, Absol visible as well.

"What happened?" Cera asked him, the two siblings walking to each other and meeting in the middle. Absol and Rampardos gave investigative sniffs at each other, and Totodile babbled, watching them.

"Aerodactyl caught the Luxray and knocked it out, but I didn't get a chance to see where the dust floated back to, sorry," he told her.

"It's fine, as long as you're safe," she replied.

"You're alright?" Amber asked, joining them. Cyndaquil chimed in, chirping softly.

Emil nodded.

They returned Aerodactyl and Rampardos, agreeing to head back to the main square of the city to return Shieldon to the kid. Once they got there, both the kid and his sister thanked them profusely.

"Too bad that cop couldn't do his job," Cera commented as they left the siblings after bidding them farewell.

"At least it was only a petty thief," Amber pointed out. "If it was anything worse, we'd have a big problem if the police couldn't deal with it."

"To be fair, this stuff starts with petty thieves and escalates from there," Cera said. "You have to stomp it out at the source. Remember ten years ago? People thought Team Genesis were just a bunch of thieves and then _that_ happened."

Amber gave a noncommittal grunt, shrugging.

Since it was still before noon, they had time to hit a couple more spots in the town, including the fossil station. It was one of the five breeding centers for fossil Pokémon throughout the region. At the start of the initial project, there had been at least fifty, but now, as they became less needed, there were only five.

This one focused on breeding Cranidos and Shieldon, which was the main reason Cera's father had begun the tradition of giving the oldest in a generation a Cranidos for their first partner; the proximity, and that Cranidos and Shieldon were the first of the project to be mass-bred. It was still new, but Cera's father had started out with a Cranidos, so she did as well.

The fossil station, labelled #501, was a huge laboratory, hemispheric in shape. The inside was plush and was filled with workers tending to eggs and checking up on everything.

"Not interested in the family business?" Amber teased Cera.

Cera rolled her eyes, snorting. "Leave that to Emil, I don't have time to breed Pokémon."

Emil did seem interested. He had already wandered off, looking at the piles of eggs in incubation containers. Absol was by his side, red eyes gleaming.

The two girls sat on one of the benches in the viewing area. It was the only spot visitors were really permitted to be in, but they could still get a good look at the egg handling from there. Emil was nearly stuck to glass walls, looking at everything he could. Besides them, there were a couple other visitors, but it was pretty empty overall.

"I wish the fossil station had a tour," Emil complained, sitting next to them.

Cera tapped her thumb and middle finger together as she spoke, trying to gather her thoughts. "The one in uh, Shale Town, I think, has one."

"And Gabbro," Amber added.

Emil's eyes lit up excitedly. "We'll go there, right?"

"We have to, both towns have Gyms," Cera responded with an amused smile.

They spent a little while longer, letting Emil ask the scientists there about the processes and other things related to it. By the time they left, it was well into the afternoon.

"I think we could get to the next town if we went quickly," Cera said confidently.

"That'd be great if it were true, but there's a cave in the middle of the next two routes," Emil said. "It'll take awhile to get through."

"Fossil Cave, right?" Amber asked.

Emil nodded.

"Wait, Fossil Cave?" Cera asked, looking up. "That cave will take over a day to get through, anyways. We mind as well just head in before dark."

"She's got a point..." Emil slowly said.

They both looked to Amber, who was likely the most responsible since she was neither fourteen nor particularly rambunctious like Cera. She was also a couple months older, but that wasn't really put into account.

"Alright, fine," she conceded. "But I wanna check our bags and make sure we're prepared."

That process took over an hour, more than sixty minutes of Amber looking through her bag, making sure the siblings recognized the medical uses of a berry or whatever else, and her having them go through their own bags and triple checking everything. But once they did, she was confident they'd be okay, so they set off.

Heading out of the city, they looked over the route. It was much sandier, with tufts of grass here and there.

"Look!" Cera called. She pointed at a crowd of Pokémon a ways away, presumably play fighting with each other.

"Cranidos and Shieldon," Emil said. "I guess they would be around here, wouldn't they."

One of the Shieldon hit a Cranidos with an especially hard headbutt, sending the other into a blast of brown smoke. The Shieldon looked startled, following the dust as it floated back to a glimmering amber boulder. After a moment, the Cranidos re-appeared as if from a Poké Ball, and the two began playing again.

"There's a lot of Deerling, too," Emil commented. Sure enough, they could see a Sawsbuck followed by a couple Deerling, their dappled pelts colored green.

Cera heard Cyndaquil wimper, and both Totodile and Absol looked up towards the sky as a crack of thunder rumbled from above.

"Guess we should get to the cave quickly," Cera muttered. There wasn't any argument as they picked up the pace, relieved as the mouth of Fossil Cave came into sight.

The other Pokémon on the route seemed to be following their example. The Rock Types ran off to find shelter, and larger Flying Types like Fearow and Gliscor carried the smaller ones to safer areas. She also saw a Fearow stubbornly holding its wings out to protect some Spearow just as the thunder rumbled again, and the heavens poured down.

Cyndaquil cried out again, and quickly found shelter in the hood of Amber's jacket. She gave her Pokémon a worried look before breaking into a run for the cave, Cera and Emil close behind.

"Day two, going strong," Cera muttered, slumping against the cave wall. Despite their efforts, all three of them were soaked, not to mention their Pokémon. Except for Cyndaquil, who was only a little damp after hiding.

"Think we can make a shelter here?" Amber said, wringing out her hair. Cera let hers just lay flat on her head, too tired to try and mess with it. Meanwhile, Emil was ruffling his dry with an extra shirt.

"Maybe," Cera said. "Though, we could probably make good stride if we keep moving. Especially if Cyndaquil stays out and lights the way."

They took a few minutes to gather themselves and dry off, keeping warm around Cyndaquil's flame. Once they were sure they were okay, they started down one of the paths.

"Y'know, I actually did some research on this cave before," Cera commented, which immediately caught her companions' attention, because Cera doing any kind of research wasn't exactly in character for her.

"And?" Emil asked.

"There's some pretty cool Pokémon in here," she said, opening her Pokédex and flipping through to show him some photos. "That also means it's dangerous, though."

Emil looked nervous.

"Don't scare him," Amber chided.

"No, no, hear me out," Cera said quickly. "Danger will probably mean other Trainers are also moving quickly and not staying here long, but it also means the Pokémon here will be tough. Strong Pokémon and no other Trainers!"

"Sounds safe," Emil muttered drily.

Cera patted his shoulder, shaking her head. "No, we can _catch_ a Pokémon here. We'll have the cave's strength on our side."

"That'll probably be useful for your next Gym battle," Amber said.

"Bingo!"

At this point they reached a large clearing in the cave, with a couple different paths coming from it. They paused, assessing the room.

"We should probably keep going straight," Cera suggested.

"Didn't you want to explore?" Amber responded.

"Maybe after I get my brother out of here safely," Cera said, not giving a laugh at Amber's teasing. She waved for the other two to follow, ducking into the middle tunnel. The ceiling was only a little lower, and gradually widened out as they went.

The next room they reached was pitch black, and even Cyndaquil's flame didn't cast much light outside of their group.

Before, they could hear the small skitterings and noises of Pokémon throughout the cave, but now it was eerily silent.

"Should we be worried?" Cera said quietly.

Suddenly, red eyes glowed on the other side of the cave, and Cera's eyesight finally adjusted.

From there, a large Pokémon edged forward, teeth bared. Cera recognized it as a Lycanroc, and immediately put her arm out for Emil to stay back.

"Totodile, Water Gun!" Cera ordered. Totodile leapt forward excitedly, jaws opened as a blast of water shot out.

The Lycanroc leapt to the side, avoiding the attack. It flattened its ears, light brown fur bristling.

"Aqua Jet!"

Totodile, covered in a coat of water, leapt into the air, shooting at Lycanroc. This time it made contact, slamming into its jaw. The Lycanroc barked, hitting the cave wall.

 _'Perfect!'_ Cera thought excitedly. She dug into her bag, grinning as she pulled out an empty Poké Ball.

She quickly threw it at the Lycanroc, giving an excited yell for good measure. It hit the large Rock Type on the head, encapsulating it.

The Poké Ball fell to the cave floor, twitching repeatedly as the button glowed. Cera fell silent, forgetting her friend and brother were even there as she stared at her capture.

Then, the ball burst open, and the Lycanroc quickly leapt around to run behind Cera, escaping down the tunnel they had come from. She turned, ready to chase it, but Emil stopped her.

"If we go back, we'll lose time."

Cera grit her teeth, knowing he was right. "Yeah," she said. "The next Pokémon is mine, though. I'm gonna get it next time."


	5. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the gang gets a new member

"Alright, Phanpy, Rollout!"

"Totodile, Aqua Jet!"

Totodile, coated in water, darted at the opponent as the Ground Type spun rapidly, meeting it in the middle. They blew up dust, breaking apart and landing, facing each other.

"Tackle!" the Phanpy's Trainer called.

"Dodge it and use Water Gun!" Cera countered.

The Phanpy leapt for Totodile, who easily jumped up, blasting water at it. The opponent cried out, bursting into a puff of golden brown dust and retreating to its Poké Ball.

"Great job, Totodile!" Cera called, grinning as her Pokémon bounced back over to her, matching her smile.

Phanpy's Trainer looked down at the Poké Ball for a moment before walking over to shake Cera's hand. "That was a great battle," he said. "It's the first time my Phanpy's been defeated in awhile."

Cera shook his hand, beaming proudly. "We've been working hard," she responded. "Since I beat you, can we get directions out of the cave?"

He nodded, and Amber and Emil, who had been sitting against the cave wall watching, stood up. Absol trotted by Emil's side, Cyndaquil on Amber's shoulder as usual.

"To be honest, I would have given you directions no matter which of us won, but my Phanpy hasn't battled in forever," the Trainer admitted. "It needed exercise."

"It's fine," said Cera, who had been hoping to bump into a Trainer anyways.

The Trainer gestured for Cera and her companions to listen closely, and quickly explained which paths to take out of the cave. Somehow, they had managed to traverse most of it already, and weren't too far from the exit. Apparently this Trainer came to the cave once a week to train his Phanpy, so he knew it pretty well.

They parted ways, thanking the Trainer and waving. As they started down the path, Cera sighed. "We haven't even seen any new Pokémon since that Lycanroc yesterday," she complained. "At least, nothing close enough to battle."

Sure, there were Diglett in the dirt and Graveler among the walls; Woobat hiding above and Gligar waiting to prank unsuspecting Trainers, but it was true that nothing had jumped out like that Lycanroc had. And Emil had advised them not to go rifling through wild Pokémon's territory lest they startle more than they bargained for.

"Isn't that good, though?" Emil responded. "I know you want to catch something, but I also want to not die."

"We won't die," Cera said. "You especially, with your Absol there." The named Pokémon made a snorting noise as it padded along.

They were silent as they walked for a moment, coming around a turn. Amber suddenly paused, waving for the others to do so as well. "Did you guys hear that?"

They stopped walking, trying to listen.

"Hear what exactly?" Cera asked.

"It sounded like...I don't know," Amber said. "Rocks or dust or something."

"You're worried about hearing rocks and dust in a cave?" Emil asked her with an amused look on his face.

"No, it wasn't like that, it was like..." She sighed, crossing her arms as she tried to think.

"I'm sure it's fine," Cera said. "Let's just try to--"

There was a sudden slam and yelp from Absol as they saw a dark figure swing down from above, landing an attack hued in orange light on Emil's partner.

"Absol!" Emil cried, turning.

Absol was sprawled on the ground, not usually one to fall easily, but the enemy had the element of surprise. And by the looks of the little blue Pokémon, that seemed to be the only thing that would give it the upper hand.

"A Riolu!" Cera cried. "That one's mine! Emil, return Absol!"

Emil nodded, likely both because he was startled and because he wanted his partner out of harm's way. He pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket, the glowing red light returning Absol.

"It doesn't look especially tough," Amber commented as the Riolu glared up at them.

"It's got potential," Cera said. "It managed to knock Absol down, surprise or not. I'll commend anything that can do that. Totodile, Aqua Jet!"

Totodile nodded, leaping up and slamming into the Riolu, water splashing against the cave wall. The Riolu cried out as it fell back, gritting its teeth. Its body glowed with orange light, and it jumped up, slamming into Totodile, who yelped, hitting the wall.

"What was that?" Cera asked worriedly as Totodile struggled to get to its feet.

"Counter, I'm guessing?" Emil said. "Your Totodile's already tough, so hitting it with double the damage it hit Riolu with is bound to hurt."

"Totodile, are you okay?" Cera called.

Totodile got up, nodding determinedly to its Trainer.

"Great! Use--Totodile, look out!" she called suddenly as the Riolu pounced, one of its paws glowing orange.

Totodile sidestepped just in time as Riolu's palm hit the ground, rocks shattering. Totodile jumped behind it, and Riolu turned around to face it, immediately getting blasted in the face by a Water Gun attack. It wailed as it was thrown backwards, landing, sprawled out, a few feet away.

Cera nodded as Totodile looked over at her excitedly, pulling a Poké Ball out. She threw it as hard as she could, watching as it bounced off of Riolu's back, the little Pokémon being snapped up into the ball.

It hit the ground, twitching once, twice, three times, and then clicking and not moving again.

"Yes!" Cera cheered, Totodile jumping in the air excitedly. It flicked its tail, throwing the ball to Cera for her to catch. 

She held the Poké Ball tightly, grinning as Amber and Emil congratulated her. Emil let Absol out again, and the Dark Type stretched; it was visibly annoyed with what had happened. It gave the Poké Ball a disdainful sniff, but kept to Emil's side silently. Cyndaquil bounced from Amber's shoulder, nosing the ball. It gave Cera a happy nod, hopping back to its Trainer.

By the time they made it the rest of the way out of the cave, it was well into the afternoon. The route they reached, numbered 53, was small, and they could make out the next town from the cave's exit.

"This route's shorter than 51," Emil remarked as they headed down the road. He pointed out Pokémon they hadn't seen on the other routes, getting especially excited as he saw a Braviary preening a few Rufflet close to it.

They reached a huge archway, the wood downed in flowers and plants. Passing through, they looked over where they had entered.

"Dolomite Town," Emil said. Compared to Aplite, it was a pretty big town. The houses were wooden, and almost every buiding was don in flora. It was beautiful, really. Emil called out Chikorita, who looked absolutely elated to be there.

"'It's a hot spot for Fairy Types, making it the perfect place for a Contest Hall and a Gym,'" Emil read. "So, a good stop for both of you."

Amber looked startled. "A Contest? Already? I only have two Pokémon, I haven't even gotten a chance to figure stuff out..."

"The season's just starting though, right?" Cera pointed out. "I'm sure there's others on the same boat as you."

Amber offered a nervous nod. "How about we go to the Gym so you can check it out?"

"Or, you know, the Pokémon Center," Emil piped in.

"Oh, yeah."

This Pokémon Center was substantially less crowded than the one back in Porphyry City. They were in and out, getting their Pokémon healed. They found a clearing near the orange building, sitting together.

"Riolu, come on out," Cera called, the ball bursting open. Riolu landed on its feet, looking around warily. It relaxed as it recognized Totodile, who was sitting on Cera's leg. Riolu sighed with annoyance as Totodile offered a cheerful grin, which Cera felt was fair.

"You're on our team now!" Cera told her new Pokémon. "Oh, here--" She threw out another Poké Ball, letting Rampardos examine the newest member.

Riolu flinched at the sight of the large Rock Type, but slowly settled once it saw that it only wanted to look it over. Rampardos turned to Cera, nodding in approval.

"Here, it can meet mine, too," Emil offered. He called out Chikorita and Absol. Chikorita trotted up to Riolu, offering it a friendly nudge with its leaf. Absol sat down, looking down at Riolu, who recognized it with a sheepish expression.

"You guys might have met on the wrong foot, but I'm sure you'll be good pals," Cera told them, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. Absol snorted, tilting its head away from Riolu, who crossed its arms, closing its eyes.

"Or not," Cera said quietly, backing up. "Amber, help me out."

Amber nodded, Cyndaquil and Aerodactyl appearing in two bursts of light. Cyndaquil touched noses with Riolu, who flinched but didn't seem particularly ruffled, and Aerodactyl gave a big smile. Riolu blinked at it, forcing a smile back.

Returning their Pokémon, they made their way down the cobblestone street of the town seemingly made of magic. Absol, as always, kept close to Emil, and for once Totodile and Cyndaquil were in their Poké Balls.

Another turn around the corner, and they reached a huge, pastel colored building adorned with flowers and other designs. At the center, above the double doors was the Pokémon League emblem.

"The Gym, finally," Cera said cheerfully. She reached out to push the doors open, but they didn't budge. Frowning, she gave it another try, to no avail.

Absol padded to her side, eyes glowing for a moment. It made a snorting sound, glancing at Emil.

"It's locked," he told her.

"Figures," she muttered. Behind them, a passerby paused, her Kirlia looking up with round eyes.

"Are you looking for Fern?" she asked pleasantly.

"Fern..?" Amber echoed quietly.

"Fern, he's the Gym leader," the lady said.

"Yeah, we are," Cera said. "Where is he?"

The lady pointed somewhere across town. "They're having a Contest that he's entered, so he won't be at the Gym today. Best to come back later."

As the lady left, Cera sighed. "Really? This sucks."

"Why don't we just keep moving, head to Gabbro, and come back in a couple days?" Amber suggested. "He's bound to be back by then."

"You just don't want to compete with the Gym leader in your first Contest," Emil commented.

Amber rolled her eyes. "You say that like I'm stupid for that," she responded. "But, uh, yeah. Let's just go right to Gabbro. There's a fossil station there, too, so you'll both be in your elements."

"Plus you'll get a chance to practice," Cera said cheerfully.

Hoping to at least get to Gabbro City by nightfall, they made their way across the town as fast as they could, soon leaving it and reaching a fairly flat and clear, wetland route with light, pattering rain.

At the end of the route were the docks, where three girls were standing together, chatting. They didn't appear to be related, but they seemed to want to look like sisters with their matching blue hair.

Cera paused as they saw the girls from afar. There was a ledge for fishing, but otherwise there was only water past this point. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking at the map on her Pokédex again.

"Something's wrong," she said. "We're on Route 54. It should go directly to a shorter route that takes us to Gabbro City."

"How're we gonna walk there? It's a river," Amber said, stating the obvious. She leaned over to look at the map over Cera's shoulder. "Hold on. Cera, give me that."

She took the Pokédex, pointing at the map. "Cera, Gabbro City is an island."

"It is?"

Emil took the map from her, looking at it. "Cera, you said you knew the whole region and I quote, 'like the back of your hand.' How did you not know it was an island?"

"I didn't think that the blue meant water, I just figured it was a different type of land," Cera tried.

"Cera, you beautiful idiot," Amber sighed. "Let's go talk to those girls, then."

They made their way through the route easily, reaching the docks. The three girls were knelt over the ledge, reaching down to three Pokémon that were floating in the water, only their heads sticking out. Two were Dewgong, the third an elegant Primarina.

"Hey, could you give us directions to Gabbro City?" Cera called. The Dewgong, startled, ducked underwater before nosing above the surface again, but even their jittery, panicked motions were graceful.

One of the girls, who scratched one of the Dewgong's heads reassuringly, turned to them. "Oh, you came to just the right place," she said. "These Pokémon are a ferry to Gabbro City. You can take then to get there, it's quick and free, just make sure any large Pokémon are secured," she added with a pointed look to Absol.

"Sorry, buddy," Emil said quietly, returning his partner.

"We'll take it, then, thanks so much!" Cera said cheerfully.

"We were just about to head back before dark, so if you guys could make sure these three get there safely for us, we'd appreciate it," she replied. "The staff at the Poké Center can take them from there."

Waving, the trio left, leaving Cera and her companions to the "ferry" Pokémon.

"How do we ride them?" Amber asked. "There's no harness."

"We'll, your first mistake is being cowardly enough to think that you need one," Cera said simply. She waved over a Dewgong, easily stepping off the dock and plopping onto its back.

"God," Amber muttered, watching her. She shook her head, glancing over at Emil. He gave her a _why do I have to go?_ look before sighing and mounting the other Dewgong.

With the siblings' expectant looks, Amber forced herself to walk to the Primarina, putting out a shaky hand. The Primarina chirped, cheerfully headbutting her palm. She was startled, but managed to stop herself from flinching. She carefully pulled herself from the dock, holding tightly to the Primarina as she got onto its back.

Without question, the three Water Types glided around, heading across the water, slow and steady. After a little while, Amber loosened her grip, hoping she didn't accidentally choke the poor Primarina in her panic.

There were plenty of Pokémon throughout the river, nearly all of them giving curious looks to the Trainers for traveling at so late a time of day. Amber took note of Pokémon she recognized like Corsola, who she felt would be a good look for a Contest. She saw a couple Feebas as well, which she had heard evolve into a popular Pokémon for Contests. It wouldn't hurt to check that out.

By the time they reached Gabbro City, it was nightfall and not nearly a good time to try and look around the city. They headed right to the Pokémon Center, and the staff immediately headed out to check on the ferry Pokémon.

"Gym tomorrow," Cera said as they sat in a room provided by the Center. "We'll do some morning training, but I think I'll be able to challenge it."

"Good luck then," Emil responded. Looking over, he was already looking ready to fall asleep, Absol curled up against his back.

Amber and Cera felt ready to sleep, too. It'd been quite the day, and they hadn't even hit the first Gym.


	6. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gym battle season's upon us
> 
> also the newest pokemon go update Basically made the whole world the ozoic region and i just think that's neat

"Absol, Psycho Cut!"

"Get ready to use Counter!"

Absol, scythe blazing with pink light, leapt towards Riolu, swiping it up the middle. Riolu cried out as it was thrown backwards, but quickly gained its composure. It landed on its feet, glowing with orange light. Riolu jumped up, slamming into Absol. Absol skid backwards, but was still visibly able to battle. It narrowed its eyes.

"For a new Pokémon, your Riolu's doing pretty well," Emil called across the small field just outside of the Poké Center. "Maybe it'll be ready for the Gym by this afternoon. Absol, Night Slash!"

"The Gym here specializes in Rock Types, so I know it will be," Cera answered. "Riolu, Force Palm!"

Absol darted for Riolu, claws glowing with sinister purple light. It slashed downwards, claws throwing up dirt and rocks as Riolu jumped, bringing its glowing orange paw up with it, slamming Absol's head upwards. Absol was knocked back to the ground, struggling to get to its paws.

"That's enough, Absol," Emil called, returning it.

Cera grinned, high fiving Riolu as the little Fighting Type jumped up to meet her. She knew they had Absol down (even if Emil returned it before it could faint), which was a first for them.

They kept up the training, Cera's Pokémon scuffling with Amber and Emil's. Cyndaquil and Rampardos were in a surprisingly evenly matched brawl when Emil called for Cera and Amber's attention.

"It'll be sundown soon, do you wanna try and check out the Gym before it's totally dark?" he said. He was laying on the ground, slumped against Absol.

"Don't exaggerate, it's only half after three," Cera sighed, hands on her hips. "But I guess now's as good a time as any to head there."

The Gym was huge and built of daunting, gray stone. The doors were wooden, and slowly rolled open upon Cera's knocking.

As they entered, they saw the Gym was a big arena, with a surrounding ledge and railing going around above it. At the back end of it was a flight of stairs, which lead to a catwalk. Beyond that was a back room that they couldn't see into. The rest of the Gym, though, had the general theme of fossils all over it.

"Is the Gym leader here?" Cera thought aloud, looking around tentatively. Turning her gaze upwards , she jumped in surprise as she saw a young man leaning against the railing above them. He waved to them, and hauled himself over the rail, jumping down in a catlike motion. A small figure that had been sitting on his shoulder leapt down with him.

"I'm the referee," he said cheerfully. "And this is Mankey," he added, jabbing a thumb towards the figure, a Pokémon, as it landed, clinging to his back. "You're a challenger, yeah?"

Cera nodded. "So, is the Gym leader here?"

"Strya?" he asked. "Sure is, I'll call her for you." With how intimidating the building was from the outside, Cera expected sophistication in its function, so she did jump a little, as did Amber and Emil, when the referee turned towards the back room, cupped his hands around his mouth, and screamed, "STRYA, THERE'S A CHALLENGER HERE."

As the three regained their composure, footsteps sounded from above, and they watched Strya walk out of the back room, looking them over from the catwalk. Cera did a double take as she saw her, though probably not as much as Amber, who looked a bit freaked out, for obvious reasons.

She thought she was seeing double.

Aside from being about twenty-five or so years older, Strya was the mirror image of Cera. The same short, stocky features, the same honey blonde hair, though Cera's was messy and nearly shoulder length, while Strya had a buzz cut. Their facial features were nearly identical, though, with the same brown eyes that looked like they were ready to defeat the world.

"Cera, you've grown so much!" Strya practically yelled, nearly tripping as she ran down the catwalk stairs. She pulled Cera into a hug, who just looked bewildered.

"I don't want to be, like, rude," Cera's muffled voice started, "but uh, do we like, know each other?"

Strya pulled from the hug, studying Cera for a moment. "You're Wollemia's kid, right?"

She nodded.

"Oh, thank God. I almost embarrassed myself there," she said in relief. "I'm your biological mother, I was a surrogate for Connor and Pine. To be fair, we haven't seen each other in at least ten years...Speaking of--Emil!"

She grinned at the boy as he looked at her curiously. "Yeah, the last time I saw you two was ten years ago, when your fathers were filling out the adoption papers," Strya said cheerfully. "God, you've both grown so much. I'm sorry I didn't visit as much, it's so busy here, and I told them that I didn't want them making you think they weren't your real parents by having me too involved, or you guys to think I was in your life only for me to leave constantly because of my job, or..."

Cera understood. Gym leaders had responsibilities to take care of their cities and towns, plus to take care of the whole region with the other Gym Leaders. No wonder she barely had a chance to leave. Not to mention, she probably had a big role in the fossil stations. Yeah, Cera could see how Strya wouldn't have enough time.

Plus, it wasn't Strya's responsibilty to raise Cera in the first place.

"So, you know them?" Cera asked.

Strya nodded. "I lived in the area that Connor went to for college, he went to school with and introduced me to my, uh, now wife, Lilac." She looked over at Emil again. "And I'm so happy you're doing well, Emil. I'm sure it must have been tough."

Neither Cera nor Emil really knew about his past before, and neither of them really knew how to respond to that, so Emil just nodded.

Now that she thought, Cera did have a foggy memory of a lady there with her fathers when Emil came to live with them, but so much of her focus had gone towards her becoming an older sister that she hadn't really...tried to remember the mystery woman. She knew that there'd been a surrogate, but she didn't have a face to a name, and she wouldnt have imagined her mother was a Gym leader.

"Well, at least we know where your battling spirit comes from," Emil said, petting Absol. "Because Arceus knows you didn't get it from Dad or Connor."

Strya gave a small laugh at that, crossing her arms. Cera thought she saw her gaze linger on Absol for a moment, but then the Gym leader was facing her again. "Right. Daughter or not, you are a challenger, and I won't go easy on you. I hear this is your first badge?"

Cera nodded, determination taking her expression. "Yeah, this is my first Gym battle."

"Let's get into it, then."

They took spots on opposite ends of the arena, ready for battle as the referee stood at the sidelines, and Amber and Emil took a place above them, behind the railing.

"This battle will be a two-on-two single battle," the referee began, his Mankey mimicking his arm motions. "There will be no switching out unless a Pokémon cannot battle, and the winner will be decided by who has no more Pokémon able to fight."

Mother and daughter nodded, accepting the terms.

Strya reached for her belt, sending out her first Pokémon, a bipedal gray and blue Rock Type. It let out a roar akin to Cera's Rampardos.

"Cranidos, you're up!" she called.

"Oh, I have a Rampardos," Cera said, excited to see that her mother had the same species of Pokémon as she. She wanted to use her partner, but knew a smart Trainer would use her other two Pokémon to her advantage.

To be fair, she wasn't a very smart Trainer, but still.

"Totodile, go!" Cera shouted, sending out her starter. The little Water Type let out a squawk of excitement, jumping in the air.

"Headbutt, go!" Strya called.

"Aqua Jet!" Cera countered.

Totodile and Cranidos leapt forward, slamming into each other and bouncing off, landing on the ground roughly. Totodile was on its feet in seconds, Cranidos a little less so. They were pretty evenly matched, and it looked like the Water Type advantage was the only one Totodile had.

"Cranidos, Take Down!" Strya ordered. Cranidos leapt forward, slamming into Totodile. It was flung into the air, crying out, and Cranidos winced in recoil pain.

"Totodile, get up and use Water Gun!" Cera called.

Totodile bounced towards Cranidos, jaws snapping open and sending a blast of water at its opponent. Cranidos ducked and ran under it, easily dodging the attack even as Totodile chased it. It was out of sight for a moment before Totodile turned, crying out as it saw Cranidos towering over it.

"Pursuit!" Strya yelled.

Cranidos hit Totodile again, dark energy bursting from the attack. Totodile hit the ground again, struggling to get to its feet.

"Get up and use Aqua Jet again!" Cera called, anxiety in her tone.

"Take Down!" Strya countered, beaming with confidence.

With that attack, Totodile burst into a puff of blue smoke, shooting into its Poké Ball. Cranidos hadn't won the battle unscathed, though; it looked ready to burst itself.

"Totodile has been defeated!" the referee called, as if it weren't obvious.

"Totodile!" Cera called, looking at the Poké Ball guiltily. "I'm sorry," she added quietly.

"You haven't lost yet, Cera," Amber called to her. "Cranidos is almost down!"

Cera gave her a thankful look, unclipping another Poké Ball. "Riolu, you're next!" she shouted, sending it out.

Riolu narrowed its eyes the second it landed, fists clenched. It bared its fangs, ready to fight.

"Cranidos, Headbutt!" Strya called. Cranidos nodded, charging towards Riolu.

Riolu leapt above it in a split second, flipping in the air as it readied to attack.

"Riolu, Force Palm!"

It slammed a paw down on Cranidos, instantly bursting it into brown smoke. The smoke retreated back to Strya.

"That's fine, we'll be even now," she said, still visibly confident. She threw a Poké Ball out, a yellow and gray Pokémon emerging.

"Shieldon, Tackle!"

The Rock and Steel Type charged, head lowered as it attacked. It slammed into Riolu, sending it into the air.

"Now, Counter!"

Riolu flipped, glowing with orange light and slamming into Shieldon. It wailed, skidding several yards away. Cera and Riolu both grinned, seeing their advantage.

"Don't let it land another Counter on you, Shieldon," Strya ordered. Shieldon got to its feet, nodding determinedly.

"Force Palm!"

"Protect!"

Riolu leapt at Shieldon, only to be thrown backwards by a large force field, hitting the ground with a grunt and heavy thud.

"Now, Rock Blast!"

"Force Palm through them and then hit Shieldon!" Cera told Riolu.

Riolu didn't react quickly enough. It managed to avoid the brunt of the damage, but one large rock slammed into its head, sending it to the ground.

"Riolu, quick! Get up!" Cera called desperately as Shieldon advanced, preparing a Take Down attack at Strya's command. It leapt above Riolu, coming down hard to attack it.

At the last second, Riolu's body glowed bright orange, and it jumped up, blasting right through Shieldon with a final Counter attack, knocking it out. The smoke was tinged silver and brown, snaking back to Strya.

"Yes!" Cera nearly screamed, running over to hug Riolu. It flailed in her arms for a moment before accepting the embrace with a sigh. Cera grinned as she set it down, looking up at her mother cheerfully.

Strya looked more proud than disappointed of her losing, walking across the arena to put her hands on Cera's shoulders. "That was a great battle, I can tell you've been working hard already," she praised. "This is yours." She handed Cera a silver badge shaped like a boulder with a jagged, prominent mark running down the side. The Crag Badge.

Cera smiled at her mother, pinning the Crag Badge as her first one in her badge case. "Thank you," she said. Riolu barked in agreement.

Amber and Emil ran down the stairs from the viewing ledge above, calling to Cera excitedly. They had both watched Cera for ten years (over ten years in Amber's case), listened to her constantly talking about being the Trainer of her dreams, so they were probably more happy than she was to see her succeed.

After a hug from Amber, a high five from Emil, and a pat on the back from the ref, Strya went with the three to the Pokémon Center to heal up. The nurse returned their Pokémon to them, and Strya turned to address Cera.

"Check your Pokédex, it should show credits added to your Trainer ID from your battle win," she told her. "Those are separate from Poké Dollars, and can go towards equipment for traveling. Any time you beat another registered Trainer, it'll add credits to your account, but it doesn't take away any from the loser. Your first Gym battle activates it, so from here on out you can get credits from won battles."

Cera blinked at this new information, having had no idea. She suddenly got an idea, looking over at Emil.

"And before you ask, no, you can't battle constantly and make a ton of money off of each other," Strya chastised before Cera could speak. "You can only get credits from a Trainer every twenty-four hours. It's 500 credits per Pokémon in a battle, and a Gym leader wins you double. Elite Four is triple, Champion is quadruple."

"You think the Champion gives out loans to their buddies?" Emil snickered. Cera nudged him.

"Most stuff, like Poké Balls and basic healing potions are around 25 to 100 credits. The rest varies. Credits cover food and clothes and other stuff too," Strya added. "You'll all be fine, I'm sure you train enough."

"Do wild Pokémon add anything?" Cera asked.

Strya grimaced. "They're...wild, honey," she said gently. "They aren't...registered Trainers."

"...Right."

With Amber's guidance on how to sort out what was a necessary buy and what was, by her phrasing, _kind of stupid, Cera,_ they stocked up on supplies before heading out of the Poké Center.

"Are you guys going back to Dolomite Town?" Strya asked them, walking beside Cera. "I'm sure you're excited for your next badge."

"Actually, we were going to be in town for a little longer," Cera said. "Emil wanted to check out the fossil station, and there were some cool Pokémon in the river, I think Amber should go check it out since there's a Contest Hall in Dolomite."

Amber jumped as she was mentioned, blinking. "I mean, I _was_ looking at the Pokémon on Route 55, but..."

"So you should check it out!" Cera said cheerfully. "I can take Emil to the fossil station."

"Can we go tomorrow morning, actually?" Emil said. "It's getting dark, and do they even do tours this late?"

"They usually stop tours at half past four, and it's five now, yeah," Strya said.

"I can't wait until this journey kicks off more, it just feels like we're jumping from hotel to hotel," Cera complained. "We haven't camped out _once!"_

"We did sleep on moldy rocks in Fossil Cave," Amber reminded her.

"Still. The terrain is very...tame in the southern part of Ozoic," Cera muttered. "It's boring."

Amber and Emil exchanged a look, but didn't say anything. If anything, they were thankful for the easy travel so far.

A few minutes later, the three teens crouched at the riverside, looking into the water as the Dewgong and Primarina docked at the shore gave them odd looks. Amber rubbed her hands together, staring into the rippling water.

"There were more Pokémon before, I think," she said. Cyndaquil, perched on her head, gave a small chitter of agreement.

"That's probably not true," Cera said, resting her cheek in her palm. "Here, I'll send Totodile to, uh, fish out some Pokémon for ya."

Amber held her gaze for a moment, blinking at her before slowly shaking her head at the "fish" pun.

Totodile leapt from the Poké Ball, diving into the river and gliding through the water. Amber took note of how much more graceful the Water Type was as opposed to on land.

"Here, Chikorita can help, too," Emil said, sending out the Grass Type. It bounded along the shore, keeping up with Totodile as it prepared to lend a hand. Amber wished her own Pokémon could do something, but between Cyndaquil and Aerodactyl, she wasn't that adept in water, which is why she needed this addition to the team so badly.

The water lie still for a moment, Totodile silently paddling in place as it looked around. Then, a ripple passed through the river, and both Totodile and Chikorita spun around to see. It wasn't noticeable at first, but an orange tuft of fur bobbed above the water before the rest of the head emerged, held aloft by a yellow sac around its neck.

"Oh, a Buizel!" Cera cried. "Totodile!"

Totodile burst from the water, its Aqua Jet attack sending it spiraling towards Buizel. The other Water Type cried out at the impact, but when Totodile came back with a Bite attack, the Buizel dove underwater and disappeared.

"Oh, no," Cera whined. "Sorry, Amber."

"It's fine, there's plenty more," she told Cera. And, if she was being honest with herself, Buizel wasn't exactly her taste in Pokémon.

By the time it was dark, Amber was starting to get frustrated and desperate. A Starmie, Corsola, Seel, and now a Sharpedo had slipped through her fingers. Plus, Totodile and Chikorita looked near exhausted.

"It's probably just because they aren't super experienced," Cera told Amber as she and Emil called their partners back. "And, those wild Pokémon know the area better than them."

"I guess," Amber muttered, slumped on the riverside. Next to her, Cyndaquil gave her a sympathetic pat on the leg.

Suddenly, there was a flash as Aerodactyl let itself out of the Poké Ball, flying above them. Amber blinked, not entirely sure how to deal with that. Before she could say anything, Aerodactyl dived for the water, snatching something with its talons before gliding back and dropping it in front of them.

Flopping pathetically on the ground was a pale brown and blue fish Pokémon, looking up at Amber. Aerodactyl landed beside it, giving Amber an expression like it was proud of itself.

"Oh, a Feebas..." Cera said, watching it. "I mean, I guess it could be helpful..."

Amber was quiet for a moment before slowly reaching out, tapping the fish Pokémon with a Poké Ball. It was drawn in with a flash of red light, the ball shaking once, twice, three times, before clicking and falling still. She brightened up a bit, smiling proudly at Aerodactyl.

"This will be great for my Contests!" she said happily.

"I'm sure you can make even a Feebas do well," Cera said, very obviously and visibly not understanding why Amber liked it so much. "Do you want to keep looking?"

Amber shook her head. "No, let's head back now," she said. "I like this little guy just fine."


	7. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jurassic park but the mob is there too

"So, at this point we begin basic training with the hatched fossil Pokémon," the tour guide was saying as their small tram made its way through the fossil station tour. This station was much larger than the one back in Porphyry Town, and the viewing area was big enough for it to have the tour that Emil had been dying to see.

Emil was sitting as close to the guide as he could, eyes round as he hung on to every word that was said. Through the one-way glass windows of the tram, they could see artificial land where Kabuto and Omanyte were sparring with other Water Types. Absol stuck close to Emil, half asleep on the bench.

"We try our best to train them using our own trained Pokémon and as little human contact as possible. This allows them to have the best experience once they're released," the tour guide continued. "We use species of Pokémon from the route they're meant to be released into so they become used to them and grow up with the proper instincts to defend themselves."

Amber and Cera sat at the back of the tram with Strya, idly watching the scenery as it passed by. Cera widened her eyes as she watched a Staryu jump from the water, spin for a moment, and then plop back down. The Omanyte watching it followed suit, jumping in.

"Early training is our biggest priority, and we pick out the species with the best potential to take extra training to. They stay for an additional generation of hatched fossil Pokémon so that they can evolve and act as a role model for the younger ones in the wild, as they aren't raised by natural parents' advice here."

"Are you going to call your father when we're done here?" Strya asked Cera. "I'm sure he'd like an update since you didn't call him last night."

"We haven't called anyone since leaving," Cera said, not thinking of her words.

Strya gave her a critical look. "That's no good," she told her. "How long have you been gone?"

"Uh." Cera paused, trying to think. She glanced at Amber for help.

"Today's day five," Amber said, looking over.

"Wow, training for less than a week and you've already got your first badge," Strya said, a hint of pride in her tone. "I'm almost embarrassed to have been beat by such a novice."

"I'm not a novice," Cera said, almost too defensively. "I know what I'm doing."

Noticing she might have struck a nerve she didn't want to poke further, Strya nodded. "You're right, sorry," she said. "It's just strange to have such a gap...the last time I saw you, you were a little kid getting in Pine's way. And Emil, he was...even smaller." Her tone sounded sad to think about Emil being so young.

"Did something happen to him?" Cera asked. "You made a comment before, too."

"What do you think happened?" Strya asked softly, avoiding eye contact. There was a pause as they heard Emil excitedly interrupting the guide to ask a question, completely oblivious to their conversation.

"I dunno," Cera said. She really didn't know much about her brother's adoption, now that she thought. She did, however, remember her fathers _really_ wanting another kid around (She did, too. It could get lonely sometimes, even with Glameow.), but being hesitant to go through the adoption process with their busy jobs and all. So, yeah, it was kind of rattling when the emergency adoption of Emil happened. "I just figured he was another kid from a couple of neglecting parents."

"That's one way to put it," Strya said. She watched Emil for a moment as he excitedly pointed to a Floatzel carrying a couple Omanyte on its stomach, the huge orange Water Type paddling around the pond on its back. Absol opened an eye before raising its head to watch.

"I wish I could tell you, but it isn't in my rights to. I'm not his parent and Connor told me not to tell him anything until they're ready to do it themselves," she finally added. "That kid was in a bad environment is all I can say. Your parents don't want him to know about it until he's an adult. They think being told details of his past could open bad memories, and they want him to have a normal childhood."

Cera was silent for a moment as the tram kept going. Emil joined them after a moment, sitting between Strya and Cera. Absol padded over, looking at them before sitting next to the bench. "This is so cool," he said cheerfully. "Thanks, guys."

"Of course," Strya said, patting him on the head. The Gym leader had paid their way to the tour.

"And here we have the training room for the Pokémon designated to lead the newly hatched," the tour guide said. "Although in the wild the Omanyte and the Kabuto families tend to be natural rivals, our trained 'leader' Pokémon can overcome that easily and lead both until the younger can take care of themselves. We usually choose Kabutops as the leader, due to its agility."

"Woah," Emil said as the room came into view. These Kabutops had human contact, and were in groups of fives, doing exercises led by two staff members. They moved all together, movements almost robotic.

For whatever reason, Emil fell silent at this room, not asking any questions as the tour guide droned on. He seemed transfixed on the Kabutops, quietly staring at them.

"You alright?" Cera asked after a minute, gently touching his shoulder. The fact that Emil hadn't been in a good situation before his adoption wasn't news to her. This kind of episode had happened before, about two years before when Amber and Cera got their first Pokémon.

He'd been excited to battle with his Absol for the first time, but something about watching it attack had made him freeze up. He'd gotten used to it since then, but Cera wouldn't forget that.

Emil didn't respond. He didn't blink to attention until Absol headbutted his knee, making a small chirping noise like a cat.

"Are you okay?" Cera repeated. Strya and Amber seemed to notice by now, the former watching Emil with concern in her eyes.

"Yeah, sorry," he said. The tram made its way out of the room, turning a curve towards the exit. Cera gave him a nod of reassurance.

"This concludes the full tour of Fossil Station #502," the guide said as the sliding doors on either side opened. "Thank you for your donation, and have a great day."

Emil glanced at Cera, lowering his voice. "There's another leg of this tour still," he told her.

Cera nodded, having caught that as well. With their upbringing, but she and Emil knew there was still the releasing process to talk about. She leaned forward as the tram came to a stop. "Is the releasing process closed for the public?" she asked.

"For today, I believe so," the guide said. "We don't have a lot of staff on hand today. Less than usual."

They left the tram and station, Emil's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the ground. Strya turned to him. "Sorry about that, I didn't know they were cutting it short."

"It's fine," Emil said, though they could tell he was disappointed.

"Don't worry," Amber assured him, "We could probably try another tour at the next station we--"

She was interrupted as a loud crash and bang sounded from the station, and they all turned to watch as smoke billowed from the back of the building.

Cera and Emil immediately started to run back to the building, easily held back by Strya, who grabbed them both by the arm.

"Strya, come on," Cera said, trying to pull from her grip. "There's not a lot of staff, they'll need help."

Strya sighed. "You don't even know what happened," she said sternly. "It could be a simple machinery bust or something else, we don't know if it's safe."

"It's fine, we have our Pokémon," Emil argued.

"His Absol stopped a thief a couple days ago," Cera added.

Strya stared at both of them for a moment. "Archeops, go see what's up," she called, letting go of them and throwing a Poké Ball into the air. The red fossil Pokémon glided out, flying over the building and towards the smoke.

"I'm not gonna sit here while your one single Pokémon goes in to investigate a huge explosion," Cera said.

"I'm not a very responsible Gym leader if I let a couple of kids potentially get hurt under my watch," Strya retorted.

"The people in there could be in danger," Cera countered. "We can help."

Strya sighed, looking up at the sky for a moment. "All three of you better stay close to me," she said sharply before running towards the building, waving for them to follow.

They kept close to the wall as they ran around the side of the station towards the pillar of smoke. Strya gasped as they spotted a brown cloud drifting towards them and towards one of the Poké Balls on her belt.

"Something knocked out Archeops!" she said, worry in her tone. Archeops was her partner and one of her strongest Pokémon.

"Aerodactyl--" Amber started, holding a Poké Ball.

"Wait, don't send anyone ahead until we know what's going on," Strya cautioned her. They came around a corner, jumping as they took in the scene.

A huge hole had been blasted out of the fossil station, and they saw a huge black Pokémon flying in the air with a person on its back. Its huge wings kicked up dirt with the wind they made. Another person was perched on the back of a huge Bug Type that was standing vertically on the wall of the busted building.

"Don't let them get away," Strya called. "Armaldo, get that Araquanid!" The big blue Rock Type burst out and sprung into action, running towards the Pokémon on the wall. Three Purrloin suddenly appeared in its path, the small Dark Types hissing.

"How many Pokémon do they have?" Cera muttered. "Rampardos, help it out!" Her partner appeared, tail glowing with purple light as it knocked the Purrloin away.

"That looked like Assurance," Emil commented. "I haven't seen it use that move before."

"Me neither," Cera said. "Rampardos, Headbutt!" she called.

"Armaldo, Rock Blast!" Strya added.

The rocks from Armaldo's attack blasted into Araquanid, sending the large Bug Type flying from the building. The person on its back fell, dropping to the ground and only being saved as a black Pokémon appeared in a burst of light, catching them on its back and gliding to the other flying Pokémon.

Rampardos leapt into the air as Araquanid fell, headbutting it towards the ground. It burst into green dust on impact, the smoke retreating to the fallen person, who was now flying next to their accomplice.

"Noivern?" Strya spat as she looked at the flying Pokémon. "What do they need those for?"

The two Noivern chirped to each other as they flew upwards, preparing to make their escape.

"Totodile, weigh them down!" Cera called, sending the Water Type out. She didn't want to send Rampardos knowing it was likely worn out and couldn't jump too high anyways.

Totodile bit down hard on one of the Noivern's talons, ice suddenly springing from its fangs and spreading across. The Noivern screeched, trying to shake it off.

"Chikorita, go help out!" Emil said, sending out the Grass Type. Vines snaked from its sides, wrapping around the other Noivern and pulling it towards the ground. It flapped its wings harder, trying to escape.

"Purrloin!" one of the people called. Cera froze. She'd forgotten about them. The cat Pokémon sprung into view, one of them slashing Chikorita across the face. Wailing, it released Noivern. Another Purrloin leapt up, biting Totodile's tail. It squawked, letting go of Noivern and falling to the ground.

"Aerodactyl!" Amber shouted, sending out her partner. It glided towards the Noivern. Cera saw one of the people visibly roll their eyes before muttering an order to their ride. The Noivern turned in the air, jaws snapping open. Blue light charged in its mouth before blasting directly into Aerodactyl the second it got close enough to bite them. Amber cried out as Aerodactyl burst into brown and light blue smoke, floating back to her.

"If you all are done holding us up," the attacking Noivern's Trainer said plainly, "We'll be taking our leave. We need these Kabuto more than the route does." The Purrloin disappeared in glowing red beams of light before the Noivern screeched to them, gliding out of sight.

Strya cursed under her breath. "We could have had them," she said angrily. "They stole the Kabuto!"

"Who were they?" Cera said angrily, holding Totodile in her arms. She returned Rampardos to its Poké Ball, Strya doing the same for Armaldo. Emil picked up Chikorita, Absol touching its nose to the Grass Type's flank.

"I think I recognized them," Emil said quietly, petting Chikorita. "They were wearing the same kind of clothes as that thief back in Porphyry Town. I think it's a uniform."

"A Team, maybe?" Amber offered.

"It better not be," Strya said. "I dealt enough with those idiots in Team Genesis ten years ago."

Cera walked over to Emil's side after returning Totodile to its Poké Ball. "Is Chikorita okay?"

He nodded. "It just needs to rest," he said, returning it. "I hope they aren't a Team."

"Me neither," Cera said.

"They fit the profile for one," Strya said. She flipped open a phone from her pocket, punching in a couple numbers. "Fern? I need you over here--yeah, the fossil station. Some thieves robbed it and I need a couple Trainers here to help us make sure the people inside are safe--no, I don't know who they are. Report it to the police in Dolomite too, in case they try to escape. Yeah. See you."

She snapped the phone shut, sighing as she stared at the busted open wall. "Come on," she called. They followed her into the building, stepping cautiously over rubble and chunks of bricks and plaster.

"Is anyone in here?" Strya called into the station. They were in the back room, which ordinarily would just be a pretty nondescript area with a couple tables for the staff members to collect Poké Balls for releasing. But now, the whole place was littered with rubble and overturned counters.

They spotted a couple Trainers crouched under a flipped table, a Marshtomp and Grovyle with them. They slowly relaxed as they recognized Strya and realized the teens with her were non-threatening. Cera recognized the two Trainers as the staff members training the fossil Pokémon.

"What happened here?" Strya asked once the Trainers were on their feet. As they stood, another person, the guide, got up as well. A Torchic was on his shoulder, eyes cautious.

"We were about to head out to the routes to release a batch of the young ones," the Trainer of the Marshtomp said. "Those guys suddenly blasted out the wall and stole the Kabuto and Kabutops from Ty." She pointed to the Grovyle's Trainer next to her.

"Fern should be on his way," Strya assured them. "Is anyone else in the building?"

"We usually return all the Pokémon before we leave to release a group," Ty said. "So luckily they were all secured before the attack. And we're the only staff here today. We don't like to have a ton of people in the station."

"Thank God for that," Strya sighed. As she was speaking, they saw a young man, pink hair tied into a fluffy ponytail, look into the station. Next to his was a girl Cera recognized as the Trainer with the Kirlia from a couple days before who had told them Fern wasn't available. She had a short green hairstyle, possibly to match her partner Pokémon.

"Fern!" Strya cried in relief.

From behind Fern floated a little brown and cream colored Pokémon. The Kirlia emerged next to its Trainer, eyes calm and observant.

"Whimsicott, use Tailwind and clean this mess up, please," Fern said. Whimsicott chirped, and a gust of wind kicked up in the station, lifting debris and tables, moving anything hazardous out of the way.

"Kirlia, Heal Pulse," the other Trainer added. A pink wave passed through the room, and Cera could see wounds fade from Grovyle and Marshtomp.

Once they helped the Trainers from the lab--Ty, Tori, and Donnie--to their feet, Fern turned to address Strya.

"Thanks for chasing off those grunts, they've been an issue lately, especially around Dolomite," he said.

"Do you know anything about them?" she asked him.

Fern grimaced. "Sure do, but you aren't gonna like it," he admitted. Whimsicott trilled in agreement. "Team Genesis. Back after a decade."

Strya narrowed her eyes. "You're joking," she said.

Fern shook his head. "They're under new management, but I wouldn't be surprised if the higher ups were close friends of the happy couple who ran it before."

Strya sighed. "Great."

The other Gym leader offered her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Look, I don't think they'll mess with your town for awhile, and the rest of us can handle it, so don't worry."

She crossed her arms. "I'm just glad Lilac was out today and not working with the eggs like she usually does," she said. "I wouldn't want her to have gotten caught up in this."

Fern turned his attention to Cera and her two companions, who were all quiet and not sure what to do. "Head on back to Dolomite, I'll be back in a couple days. My sister here told me you all were looking for me, so you can challenge me when I've returned."

Cera blinked as she looked at the Kirlia's Trainer. She didn't see the family resemblance, but to be fair, most couldn't with her and her own brother.

It took an hour or so for them to get sorted out before they were floating back on Route 55. Amber gently pat the head of the Primarina she rode. "Don't forget to call your dad when we get there," she said. "I don't doubt this stuff will be all over the news."

Cera groaned, rubbing her face. "I forgot all about calling my dad," she muttered. The Dewgong made a loud noise of amusement.

Emil shrugged from the other side of Amber, whose ride swam between them. "With all the things we keep getting caught in, I'm sure he's keeping up with us just fine."


	8. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> contest time baby

Amber stood in front of a pond in the Dolomite Town's local park, arms crossed. Feebas floated in front of her, smiling at her cheerfully. At least she thought it was smiling. It was kind of hard to tell. 

After they called the Professor that morning and caught him up on events, which, as Emil had predicted, he knew mostly about due to news traveling so quickly, they made it to a spot in town that was generally not too crowded. It was a small town to begin with, so that hadn't been much an issue.

Amber studied Feebas for another moment before sighing loudly. "I can't think of _anything,"_ she complained. "I know Feebas is worth training, but we need some kind of cool moves for the Contest. It's only a day away!"

"Why not try something with Cyndaquil?" Cera suggested. She and Emil were a few yards away, sitting on the ends a double slide. "Fire should look nice enough, right?"

"I don't have too many doubts about Cyndaquil, or Aerodactyl for that matter," Amber responded. "But Feebas, I want to be able to use a couple times and not make it think it's only good once it evolves."

"That's sweet," Cera said, with the slightest tone of teasing. Amber waved her away half-heartedly, rolling her eyes. She sighed, turning from the pond and throwing out a Poké Ball. Cyndaquil appeared, chirping happily.

"Let's try out that new move," she prompted to her partner. Cyndaquil made a noise of agreement. "Cyndaquil, Flame Wheel!"

Cyndaquil leapt into the air, body bursting into flames. It turned into a rapidly spinning ball of fire before the flames blasted from it, into the sky.

"Now, Cyndaquil, use Double Kick!" she cried.

The ball of fire flew into the air before slowly falling back to the earth. Cyndaquil jumped up to meet it, hind legs glowing orange. It spun in the air, jabbing into the fire with a leg. Instead of whatever Amber was trying, though, the flames wrapped around Cyndaquil, who wailed as it slammed into the ground.

Amber sighed. "We'll...work on it," she decided. "Cyndaquil, come back." The Fire Type shook out its fur, clearing the spot for Aerodactyl as it was called from its Poké Ball.

"You have a couple good moves too, right?" she called encouragingly. "Aerodactyl, Ancient Power!"

Aerodactyl let out a screech, glowing stones appear around it, hovering in the air.

"Okay, Sunny Day!" she added.

Light grew at Aerodactyl's mouth, and the large Pokémon threw it upwards. Light exploded from above, causing the sunlight to sparkle and gleam around them. The rocks from the Ancient Power attack glittered beautifully.

"Now, Steel Wing!" Amber ordered.

Aerodactyl's wings shone with silver light, and it spun in place, waves from the attack visible. After a second, the rocks in the air shattered, debris sparkling as it fell.

"Hey, that's one combination," Cera said cheerfully. "You'll be fine in the first round with your Aerodactyl."

Amber nodded, looking over her Feebas and Cyndaquil. "What about the battling portion, though?" she said.

"Probably work on that with Cyndaquil," Emil suggested. "I'm sure Feebas has its good points, but you could be paired with any Pokémon to battle, and Feebas isn't very..." He paused. "Adaptable."

Feebas made a noise that Amber guessed was indignant, suddenly leaping up, wiggling in the air, and flopping back down.

Amber watched her Pokémon quizzically, wondering what that could have possibly been about. Suddenly, thunder cracked from above, and rain poured down, soaking through the Sunny Day. Cyndaquil and Aerodactyl both looked at the sky, eyes narrowed with displeasure.

Amber jumped in surprise, returning them both. Emil and Cera both threw their arms over their heads, faces wrinkling in annoyance at the sudden rain, though it didn't bother Amber too much.

"That's weird, it wasn't supposed to rain today," she said. Blinking, she turned to Feebas, who looked thoroughly pleased with itself.

She quickly pulled out her Pokédex, scanning it. "Woah, Feebas knows Rain Dance!" she exclaimed. "And here I thought it would only have Splash and maybe Tackle."

"She didn't scan it with her Pokédex before?" Emil commented, glancing at his sister. "She's hanging out with you too much, Cera."

"Oh, like you would've double checked a Feebas?" Cera countered. Normally she'd amuse him with a laugh, but she hated the rain, and her attitude was reflecting that.

They both looked up as Amber excitedly called out to them. "Come here and look at Feebas!"

They got to their feet, trying not to slip in the grass as they walked from the slides to the pond. In the water, Feebas was zig-zagging back and forth, blurry with its speed. It sent up splashes of water with each bounce it added, crying out happily to Amber.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that's Feebas's Swift Swim kicking in," Emil said. "It can move faster in the water, and that does make it look more impressive."

Amber grinned to the fish Pokémon. "Feebas, use Flail while spinning, and then use Tackle upwards!"

Feebas's splashing intensified, and it suddenly twirled in the water, swirling a torrent of water around it. Suddenly, body glowing, it burst upwards, water flying up with it like ribbons. It spun in the air before posing, water blasting off of its body into sparkles and glitter.

"Great job, Feebas!" Amber called. "That was awesome!" Feebas trilled happily, swishing back and forth in the pond.

"Maybe you won't have to worry about Feebas after all," Cera said, eyes shining despite the rain as she watched the Water Type. "I could have Totodile help it with battling, too."

"That'd be great," Amber replied gratefully.

Amber worked as hard as she could, training with Cera through the night until none of their Pokémon could move. She could barely keep it together as she got ready for the day in their room at the Dolomite Pokémon Center the next morning.

"You'll be fine, Amber, the worst thing that can happen is losing, and even if you do, you'll have plenty chances to make it up," Cera assured her.

"Do you think I'll win, though?" Amber asked. She studied herself in the mirror, adjusting the purple bowtie around her neck. The tuxedo she wore was pale lavender, which was a good contrast with her curly dark hair.

"Sure you will," Cera said cheerfully. "You've been working really hard, it'll have to be rigged for you to lose."

Amber looked at her gratefully in the mirror, furrowing her eyebrows as she messed with the bowtie again. Cera gently pulled her hands from it, then squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "You'll be _fine,"_ she repeated.

The Contest Hall was packed when Cera and Emil dropped her off there, the siblings hurrying to get a seat in the audience. All sorts of Trainers were chatting, their Pokémon by their sides. Amber and the other Trainers nearby looked over, surprised, as they heard the sound of shouting and fighting.

Running over to investigate, she managed to catch the tail end of what looked like a practice battle between two Trainers. A Primeape held the two Pokémon, a Buizel and a Vaporeon, apart, while the Primeape's Trainer, who Amber assumed was a staff member, lectured the two Trainers about battling indoors.

"--Also, the Contest is about to start!" the staff member said, exasperated. "Do you really want your star Pokémon tuckered out before it begins?"

"Sorry," both Trainers said. Their Pokémon chirped in agreement.

Once the Primeape and man left, the other Trainer waved a goodbye to the Trainer of the Vaporeon before disappearing in the crowd of people. The one left reached down to pet his Vaporeon affectionately. Amber could tell it was well taken care of; its fur was sleek and tidy. 

"Your Vaporeon looks pretty strong," Amber said as a way of greeting. Mind as well make some friends, she figured. She herself had her Cyndaquil perched on her shoulder, holding Feebas in her arms. Despite what seemed to make sense, Feebas only really needed water to move around freely; it was fine out of it, as far as breathing.

"Are you using a Fire Type as your second Pokémon, too?" Vaporeon's Trainer asked, smiling at her compliment.

Amber glanced at Cyndaquil. "Oh, yeah, I am. What are you using?"

He held up a Poké Ball, grinning cheekily. "My Fennekin!"

Amber widened her eyes. "Oh, have you been training longer, then?" she asked, since the Kalos starters were three years before.

He shook his head. "Nah, Fennekin was a gift. Vaporeon here was my first Pokémon." Vaporeon trilled happily at Amber.

Amber nodded before sticking out a hand. "I'm Amber," she said. Faintly, she could hear the voice of the announcer riling up the crowd and announcing her name, Trixie.

"My friends call me Foxglove," he responded, taking her hand and shaking it. Foxglove was obviously a nickname, but he didn't seem about to tell his given name. Amber could see where the nickname came from, though. They were clearly contacts, but his eyes were a vibrant purple color.

"And now our first contestant, Foxglove from Scoria City!"

"That's my cue, see ya!" Foxglove said cheerfully. He returned Vaporeon before he turned, jogging through the doors. Amber could see him walk onto stage on the television screen. 

"As most of you know, Dolomite likes to pick a theme for each opening round of every Contest, and this Contest's theme is Water!" Trixie announced excitedly. As if to punctuate that, panels slid apart on the battlefield, opening for a large pond.

Amber felt Feebas wiggle in her arms, and Cyndaquil chirped to her. She hadn't known about that at all. It was just dumb luck she happened to have Feebas ready.

"Vaporeon, showtime!" Foxglove cried, throwing out a Poké Ball. Vaporeon appeared in a flash of light, twirling in the air as it dove down. Sparkles flew around it as it landed, crying out happily. Just like its Trainer, Vaporeon had a pink bowtie around its neck.

"A great entrance from Vaporeon!" Trixie remarked.

"Alright Vaporeon, start us off right!" Foxglove called. "Shadow Ball, into the air!"

A purple ball of energy formed at Vaporeon's mouth, and it sent half a dozen of them into the air, letting the attack float above in a ring. With the sun from the open ceiling, they glittered and shone.

"Okay, now follow it up with Aurora Beam!"

Bright, neon colors of blues, pinks, and purples blasted from Vaporeon's mouth, hitting the Shadow Ball attacks as they hung in the air. Sparkling smoke flew into the air, the crowd gasping in surprise. The smoke cleared, revealing the Shadow Ball attacks still there, but with glossy, icy shells, gleaming with blue and purple light and sparkling with energy.

"A beautiful combination from Vaporeon, covering the Shadow Ball with Aurora Beam!" Trixie cried. "Simply stunning!"

"And that's not the end of it," Foxglove called confidently. "Vaporeon, now, Iron Tail!"

Tail now lit up with a silver sheen, Vaporeon leapt into the air, easily matching the height of the attacks. It spun in a clean twirl, slashing through the spheres. They blasted apart in glittering light and smoke. Vaporeon landed neatly on the ground, chirping as though pleased with itself.

"Vaporeon destroyed the combination in a gorgeous blast of colors! Amazing!" Trixie exclaimed.

Foxglove leaned in a bow, Vaporeon doing something like a curtsy as well.

Amber greeted Foxglove as he ran into the back room with the rest of the Coordinators. A couple of them clapped him on the shoulder in congratulations; both the judges and audience seemed to adore his Vaporeon and its performance. While many of the Coordinators were happy for him, most of them looked nervous--that kind of beginning really raised the bar for everyone else.

Trixie called out the next Coordinator, a girl in a fluffy blue dress, who ran out after returning her partner, a Poliwhirl.

"You did really great out there," she told Foxglove. Cyndaquil chirped in agreement.

"Thanks," he told her, Vaporeon smiling with pride. "I'm sure you'll do fine, too. To be honest, I think you'll have a huge advantage by surprising them with your choice of Pokémon. I've never seen someone enter a Feebas before."

She looked down at the fish Pokémon, petting its head. "Feebas is doing pretty well, to be honest," she said. "We were training all night."

"It's probably a good strategy," he mused. "If you do as well as you say you are, you'll probably blow the judges away by using a Feebas." It seemed injurious to say, implying that Feebas wasn't as good as the others, but Amber could tell he did mean it as a compliment, in a weird way.

She looked up at the screen as a particularly loud cheer rose from the crowd. On it she could see Poliwhirl blasting through its own Ice Ball attack with Brick Break, sending sparkling ice everywhere.

Foxglove introduced Amber to a couple of the other Trainers seated at a table, including his travel companion, a non-Coordinator named Aster, and a few Coordinators Foxglove claimed were his "sworn rivals." Apparently Aster and Foxglove were from faraway Scoria City, but traveled to start their journey in Gabbro.

"My dad has the coolest Braviary," Aster bragged. "It flew us all the way there in under an hour and flew back the same time length. It even knew the directions on its own, 'caused it traveled all over Ozoic with him."

_"My_ dad has a really awesome Nidoking," Foxglove countered, hitting the table with his splayed out hand for emphasis. "It won all the Contests it entered and then some."

Amber wasn't sure how to handle the boys going back and forth to one-up one another. She looked over as a girl, who Foxglove had called Quince, said, "This is tame for them," with a smirk. "I was only a town over from them, so I dealt with this while growing up, too." Amber held back a laugh.

"Amazing job, Azumarill and Clyde!" Trixie was saying on stage. They turned to look at the screen as the announcer spoke. "And now our next contestant, Quince from Marble City!"

The second the words were out of Trixie's mouth, the boys dropped their conversation, slamming their fists on the table and shouting, "Quince! Quince! Quince!"

Quince stood up, and Amber noted that she wasn't really dolled up like the other girls; she looked like she was dressed like a Pokémon Ranger, to be honest. She waved to the table, Poké Ball in hand as she jogged out to the stage.

Quince held up the Poké Ball, throwing it into the air. "Corsola, Rock Polish!" she called. Light burst from the ball as Corsola appeared, body sparkling with silver light. It spun, reflecting sunlight like a disco ball. It came to a stop, smiling to the audience as it was in the air for a moment, and then began to fall.

"Using a move while appearing!" Trixie cried. "What a way to show off!"

"Bubble Beam!" Quince exclaimed. Corsola turned to the pond as it fell, bubbles blasting from its mouth, piling on the water's surface. Corsola hit the pile, bouncing on the bubbles. They suddenly exploded all at once, sending sparkles all around Corsola. The coral Pokémon easily twirled back to shore, chirping to the audience.

"Such an interesting way to use a Bubble Beam!" Trixie fawned.

"Now! Ancient Power!" Quince ordered, grinning confidently.

Five glowing spheres of light appeared around Corsola, and it cried out as it threw its arms upwards, the attack twirling in a spiral above.

"Okay, Spike Cannon! Jump up and spin!"

Corsola sprang into the air, and glowing spikes blasted from its body as it spun like a top, blowing up the Ancient Power attacks into glittering light. Corsola landed in front of Quince, spinning on one leg as its Trainer raised her arms to the crowd's cheering.

"Absolutely incredible!" Trixie cried. "I've never seen such creative uses of moves! Give it up for her!"

Quince was met with applause from her peers as she returned to the back room, the boys high fiving her and cheering. Corsola, perched on her head, basked in the attention.

"That was awesome, Quince!" Foxglove called, grinning. Vaporeon chirped, getting a cheer from Corsola in response.

Quince slumped into her chair, crossing a leg over the other. "That was Corsola's first time doing the first round, I was worried it wouldn't do too hot, since it's more a natural battler."

"I wouldn't have guessed," Amber told her, eyes wide in amazement. Feebas made a noise of agreement, as did Cyndaquil. 

"And our last contestant of the first round, Amber from Aplite Town!" Trixie called.

Amber jumped in her seat as if she hadn't expected to be called at all, fumbling as she quickly returned Feebas, and then Cyndaquil. The other Coordinators watched her with amusement; as far as she knew, they all had at least one ribbon to show for their work so far, or had at least competed in one Contest.

She stood up, dusting off her clothes. Feebas's Poké Ball felt like it was going to slip from her sweaty palms. She slowly inched from the table.

"Amber! Amber! Amber!" Foxglove started, only hitting the table softly at first. After a moment, Quince, Aster, and the others at the table joined in, forming a mini pep rally.

Amber forced a smile, nodding her thanks as she stepped onto the stage.

She took a deep breath. 

"Feebas, spotlight!"


	9. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> contest contest contest

"Feebas, spotlight!"

Feebas burst from its Poké Ball in a blast of light, wriggling cheerfully in the air before diving into the pond. It twirled as it went down, creating a vortex as it hit the water.

"A surprising choice of Pokémon, I don't think I've ever seen a Feebas here before!" Trixie said. "And it's already doing so well!"

Amber smiled excitedly. Foxglove was right, they would be easily impressed. But she wouldn't use that to her advantage; she didn't need handouts.

"Feebas, Mist and then Double Team!" Amber called.

Feebas opened its mouth, sending up a blast of glittering, icy blue air across the whole battlefield. Amber widened her eyes; she was surprised at how powerful its attack was. But it wasn't over. Copies of Feebas appeared in the fog as the Mist floated over the pond. To the audience, though, they could only see silhouettes. The Feebas copies twirled in the water, seeming to dance together, spinning and swimming around.

"Feebas is making an amazing illusion of a dance team behind the mist!" Trixie said. "Impressive!"

"Okay, Rain Dance!"

The copies continued to dance, but with more intensity, bodies glowing bright blue through the icy air. Rain thrummed down from the open ceiling, creating sparkles and smoke as it hit the Mist. The air swirled in a vortex, and Feebas burst into the air through the smoke, air following it like ribbons. Its body was nearly blurry, moving quickly with its Swift Swim Ability. All at once, the smoke cleared and burst into glitter, Feebas cheering as it dove, splashing into the water.

"Amazing!" Trixie cheered. "I've never seen such a performance, especially from a Pokémon like Feebas! And in her debut, no less! Give Amber a hand!"

Amber grinned, scooping up Feebas in her arms as she watched the crowd roar with applause. She spotted Cera and Emil in the crowd, calling and waving to her. She made eye contact with Cera, who grinned, Totodile bursting out and waving to her.

Amber returned to the back room, jumping in surprise--and nearly dropping Feebas--as Foxglove and the others crowded around her, cheering for her.

"Your Feebas was awesome!" Foxglove said. "I can't believe it!"

"You did do really well," Quince agreed, patting her shoulder. Corsola chirped from the floor, Feebas smiling at it.

They sat back down at the table, chatting excitedly. The screen lit up again, Trixie with the mic. "And our judges have now decided on the eight talented Coordinators moving onto the next round! They're on the screen now!"

Eight cards appeared on the screen, flipping to reveal the faces of the next competitors. Quince scowled. "Oh, they couldn't let us pick the photo?" she muttered. "I look terrible."

Amber didn't care how anyone looked. She smiled brightly, watching as she saw her face, among others, including Foxglove and Quince, on the screen. "We did it!" she cried, holding up her Feebas, who sang happily.

Foxglove smiled happily, petting Vaporeon. Next to him, one of his friends offered a congratulations, though he looked downcast, and Foxglove pat his shoulder. "Thanks. You'll get it next time, Olive."

"And here's our random matchups!" Trixie exclaimed. The cards shuffled, before pairing up Trainers. "We'll start the second round after our ten minute intermission!"

Amber blinked as she saw the screen.

Her opponent was Quince.

"Hey, I'll see ya out there!" Quince told her, grinning. Amber nodded, determined. She heard her name called from a few yards away, and quickly excused herself to go the entrance of the room, where Cera and Emil were.

"Dude, that was so cool!" Cera told Amber. Totodile squawked in agreement. Emil nodded, his Absol giving a prideful bark, a rare sight.

"Thanks, guys," Amber said with a smile. "I hope I'll do okay the next round."

"Like I said, if you lose, they rigged it," Cera told her. "You're one of the best battlers I know."

"Plus, you're already amazing at Contests," Emil added. "I'm sure you can do it."

Amber smiled gratefully. She jumped as she felt a hand on her arm, and turned to see Foxglove.

"C'mon rookie, show's about to start," he told her. He waved to Cera and Emil politely before heading back into the crowd.

"Gotta go," Amber told her friends with an excited grin. Cera and Emil waved to her, heading to the audience stand as Amber headed back into the Hall. 

"Our first match will be Foxglove from Scoria City versus Dustin of Chert Town!" Trixie called. Foxglove jumped up from the table, waving to the others as he headed out to the stage. Amber could see him on the screen, the boy named Dustin on the other side of the battlefield.

"Each Coordinator will use one Pokémon, and the battle will be over when time's up, or when one participant runs out of points or energy," she continued, eyes bright. "Five minutes on the clock, and start!"

"Fennekin, showtime!" Foxglove called, throwing out a Poké Ball. 

In a blast of light, Fennekin appeared, twirling as it landed and letting flames and sparkles burst from its body. Like Vaporeon, a little bow was around it like a collar. It cried out, eyes bright.

"Mothim, you're up!" the other Coordinator, Dustin, called. From the Ball burst out an brown and yellow Bug Pokémon, who twirled into the air, sending a shower of sparkling light with it.

"Fennekin, Ember!" Foxglove started, pointing across the field. Fennekin leapt up, flames bursting from its mouth. They thrummed against the ground, moving like a wave towards Mothim.

"Quick, Protect!" Dustin called. The wave of Embers moved closer, sending up sparkling dust and smoke as it finally collided with Mothim. Amber gasped as the smoke cleared to reveal Mothim unscathed, surrounded by its Protect shield.

"Quick reflexes on Mothim's behalf!" Trixie exclaimed. Points were docked from Foxglove, who narrowed his eyes.

"Alright, use the smoke with your Aerial Ace!" Dustin followed up. Mothim chirped, shooting into the air as its body glowed. Smoke hung to its body, giving it an impressive ribbon-like look as it spun like a torpedo towards Fennekin. Foxglove lost another bout of points.

"That's fine," he said confidently. "Fennekin, Flame Charge!"

Fennekin's body burst into flames, and it bounded towards Mothim, leaping into the air. They met in the middle, but despite Mothim's impressive display, Fennekin's Flame Charge was stronger. Mothim was knocked backwards, wailing in pain. Fennekin didn't let it off the hook, quickly turning and giving a powerful kick of its hind legs, sending Mothim slamming into the ground. Smoke flew up, sparks of fire in the air.

"An amazing interception from Fennekin!" Trixie cried as Fennekin neatly landed on its paws, barking proudly. Dustin's points lowered quite a bit.

Meanwhile, Mothim was on the ground, twitching. It looked about to burst at any second. "Mothim!" Dustin called. "C'mon Mothim, you're still going!" Mothim made a weak noise, but got up, flying again.

"Alright, Mothim, Energy Ball!"

"Fennekin, Psybeam!"

It wasn't fast enough, and the ball of green energy slammed into Fennekin, who wailed as it flew backwards. The Psybeam at its mouth disappeared on impact.

"Fennekin, are you okay?" Foxglove called. Fennekin yipped, hopping back to its feet. Fennekin was fine, but that had been a direct hit and docked Foxglove even more points.

"Energy Ball, again!" Dustin called. Mothim chirped, drawing up another sphere of green light.

"Psybeam!"

This time, Fennekin was ready. It blasted pink light at the ball, hitting it in the middle. The attacks exploded as they collided, bursting into sparkling light. Dustin's points fell this time.

"Thirty seconds on the clock!" Trixie shouted. "Our two Coordinators are quite evenly matched, can one of them get a leg up before time runs out?"

"Solar Beam!" Dustin called, pointing.

Mothim's body began to glow, light from the sun falling down towards it.

"Fennekin, look out!" Foxglove countered. "Ember, go!"

Fennekin opened its jaws, blasting bursts of fire steadily at Mothim, power increasing as it bounded towards it from across the field. With each hit, Dustin's points fell, but not by much.

"Okay, shoot!" Dustin cried.

Mothim let out a cry, a beam of light blasting from it, towards Fennekin. The Fire Type's eyes grew round with fear as it froze, watching the Solar Beam gain on it.  

"Fennekin!" Foxglove nearly screamed. "Flame Charge, dodge it, quick, quick!"

Fennekin suddenly snapped to attention, body bursting into fire. It kicked off, leaping into the air just in time as the Solar Beam hit the ground, causing an explosion in the dirt. Fennekin kept going through the air in its jump, colliding with Mothim and blasting right through the Bug Type as it burst into sparkling, green smoke. Fennekin landed on the ground as the smoke flew back to Dustin, fire bursting away from its body. It caught its breath, barking to Foxglove, relieved.

"And Mothim is unable to battle, burst into dust by a glorious Flame Charge from Fennekin!" Trixie cried. "The match goes to Foxglove!"

The crowd erupted into applause, and Amber saw Foxglove run across the battlefield to scoop up Fennekin in his arms, grinning. She thought she saw him crying, too, which brought an amused smile to her and Quince's faces. No one was cheering nearly as much as Aster, though. Foxglove's travel companion was on his feet, nearly screaming as he cheered for his friend.

When Foxglove returned to the back room, Aster practically tackled him as a gesture of congratulations. Fennekin bounced from the scuffle, standing on the table and watching with wide eyes.

Quince grinned at her friend, prying, to put it mildly, an excited Aster from Foxglove. "You were awesome out there," she said. Amber nodded in agreement.

Foxglove smiled sheepishly. "Mothim's a Bug Type, it wasn't so hard."

"That Mothim was tough, though!" Aster retorted. "Fennekin was so cool!"

Foxglove smiled his thanks, sitting at the table as the next two were called up. The Coordinators called their Pokémon, a Bounsweet and Snubbull taking the stage.

"I'm so nervous about this round," Amber was saying as they chatted. "You guys are so much better."

"You'll be fine, Amber," Quince assured her. Corsola cheered, tottering on the table. Fennekin was curled up against Foxglove's chest, and it barked to the rest of the table.

"If it makes you feel better, the Pokémon I'm using isn't strong against your Cyndaquil," Quince said. "'Course, I can't tell you what I'm using. Element of surprise."

"Aaaand, time!" Trixie called on the screen, grabbing everyone's attention. "The match goes to Bounsweet and Orchid!"

"Oh, she's from Marble City," Quince muttered. "I never really liked her, but she _is_ talented."

"Now, our next match!" Trixie said. "Quince from Marble City versus Amber of Aplite Town!"

Amber felt jittery all over again, glancing at Quince nervously. The other girl nodded to her encouragingly. She sighed, standing up.

"You all know the rules," Trixie said as Amber took the stage, Quince on the other side of the battlefield. "Five minutes on the clock, and start!"

"Cyndaquil, spotlight!" Amber called, throwing the Poké Ball. Cyndaquil appeared in a blast of light, sparkles swirling around it as it landed.

"Meowth, darling, time to dance!" Quince cried, throwing her own Poké Ball. A Meowth burst from it, twirling as it leapt to the ground, sparkles following it like a comet tail. Meowth wore a dark purple cape, held around its neck with a ribbon.

"Both Pokémon giving great entrances," Trixie relayed. "And Meowth looks stunning with its costume!"

 _Costumes,_ Amber noted mentally. _Need to remember those._

"Cyndaquil, Quick Attack!" Amber started. Cyndaquil's body burst into light as it bounded towards Meowth.

"Fake Out!" Quince countered.

Cyndaquil jumped, about to strike, and Meowth clapped its paws in its face, causing Cyndaquil to squeal, flailing as it flew backwards. Amber grit her teeth as her points fell.

"Quick movements from Meowth, a good action to test out your opponent," Trixie praised.

"Cyndaquil, Flame Wheel!" Amber called. Cyndaquil leapt into the air, spinning as it was covered in flames. It rolled towards Meowth at breakneck pace, flames bursting with energy.

"Meowth, Screech!" Quince called. Meowth grinned as Cyndaquil neared, opening its jaws in a piercing yowl. The sound waves were visible, hitting Cyndaquil. The Fire Type squeaked, Flame Wheel abruptly stopping as it skidded to a halt, surprised.

"A powerful voice to shock an opponent!" Trixie said. "Impressive!"

"Alright, Fury Swipes!" Quince ordered. Meowth purred as it leapt up, springing towards Cyndaquil. It got close, claws glowing as it brought them down to strike.

"Okay, now! Quick Attack!" Amber called. Cyndaquil quickly blasted into Meowth, body glowing with brilliant light. Meowth yowled as it flew backwards, flailing.

"Ember!" Amber added.

Cyndaquil blasted fire at Meowth, sending the Normal Type into the dirt, sparks of fire among the dust thay blew upwards. Amber felt a rush of relief as Quince's points fell.

"Meowth, get up!" Quince called. "Go, Fury Swipes, again!"

Meowth winced, getting to its feet and glaring at Cyndaquil. It leapt forward, claws glowing.

"Dodge it!" Amber said. Cyndaquil dropped and rolled, avoiding as Meowth hit the dirt. The cat Pokémon spat angrily as it got to its feet again.

"Okay, Ember!" Amber called, steadily growing more confident. Cyndaquil opened its mouth, sending a blast of fire pellets at Meowth.

"Thunderbolt!" Quince shouted.

Thunderbolt? Amber blinked. A Meowth can learn that?

Meowth's body burst with electricity, zapping right through the Ember attacks into a spark of beautiful lightning. The crowd roared with applause, Amber clenching her fists as she lost points again.

"What an interception!" Trixie called. "Meowth sure is something!"

"Thunderbolt, again!" Quince called. Meowth growled, sending a blast of electricity at Cyndaquil again.

"Flame Wheel!"

Cyndaquil curled into a wheel of flames again, swerving around to dodge the Thunderbolt, before jumping and slamming into Meowth.

"A direct hit!" Trixie cheered. "Amazing!"

Amber grinned, looking up at the clock. They had a minute to go, and she had a leg up on Quince, not matter how little it was.

"Meowth, come on!" Quince ordered. "Screech!"

This time, Cyndaquil easily dodged the sound waves, leaping up.

"Ember!"

Cyndaquil opened its mouth, blasting fire at Meowth.

"Fury Swipes!"

Meowth's claws glowed, and it slashed wildly, the Embers exploding into sparkles as the Fury Swipes met them. 

"What a way to deflect an attack!" Trixie raved. "Despite Cyndaquil's powerful Ember, Meowth cuts right through it!"

"You alright, rookie?" Quince called across the battlefield, a cocky grin on her face.

Amber narrowed her eyes, looking up at Cyndaquil. "Double Kick!"

Cyndaquil turned in the air, hind legs glowing bright orange. It slammed one into Meowth, the cat Pokémon wailing in pain. The second kick came just as fast, Meowth bursting into gray, sparkling light just as time went out.

"What quick thinking!" Trixie cried. "Amber once again blowing us away in her debut! The match goes to her and Cyndaquil!"

The crowd roared with applause, and Amber smiled happily as she caught Cera and Emil's gazes, who looked like they were trying to cheer loudest of all.

Amber ran across the field, Cyndaquil bounding to meet her. She hugged it tightly, grinning with happiness. She looked up, surprised as Quince offered a handshake, smiling at her.

"You did awesome, especially for a first timer," she said.

Amber nodded. She knew she still had another battle before the final round, that is, if she managed to get into it. But she was confident, happy as she held her Cyndaquil.

"I'll do my best!"


	10. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> contest conclusion yall know how it is ! back to storytime next chap i promis

"Bounsweet, Rapid Spin!" Orchid called from across the battlefield. Thirty seconds were left on the clock. Bounsweet twirled, body glowing as it flew towards its opponent.

"Meet it in the middle with Flame Wheel!" Amber called. Cyndaquil nodded, leaping into the air. It spun, body coated in flames. The two Pokémon hit each each other, bouncing off one another like tops. Bounsweet narrowed its eyes, landing on the ground and glaring at Cyndaquil, who did the same as it landed. 

"Again! Rapid Spin!" Orchid shouted.

"You too! Flame Wheel!" Amber added.

They slammed into each other again, but this time when they bounced off, Cyndaquil leapt above Bounsweet, squeaking in defiance.

"Great! Ember!" Amber said with a grin. Fire shot from Cyndaquil's mouth, sending Bounsweet slamming into the earth, dust and fire going up into the air.

"And, time!" Trixie called, gripping the mic tightly. Amber turned to look at the screen, sighing in relief. "The match goes to Amber and Cyndaquil!"

Amber hugged Cyndaquil tightly as it leapt into her arms, feeling elated. Winning this battle, along with her victory against Quince, meant she was moving on to the finals! There was only one more battle until the finals, and that was Foxglove against the Trainer of the Poliwhirl they'd seen earlier, who was using her Flaaffy for this round.

Amber sighed as she stepped into the back room, jumping as Cera and Emil were there, grins on their faces.

"Oh, you guys are allowed back here?" she asked, blinking.

"We snuck in!" Cera said cheerfully. Absol was frantic behind them both, tugging repeatedly on Emil's pant leg.

"Ah," Amber said. She could hear shouting down the hall.

"We just wanted to say, we're super proud of you!" Cera added. "And good luck!"

"Hey! Contestants only back here!" one of the staff members yelled, running into the room.

"See ya!" Cera said quickly, grabbing Emil by the arm. The siblings dashed from the room, heads lowered to cover their faces. Amber jumped back as a guard chased them, his Primeape bounding after its Trainer.

"Fennekin, Psybeam!" Amber heard Foxglove call. She turned to the screen to watch the battle unfold. The Psybeam met with a Thunder Shock from Flaaffy, the two blasts of energy pushing against each other under Fennekin's Psybeam burst through, getting a direct hit on Flaaffy. As Trixie raved about the move, Amber sat at the table, looking over Cyndaquil.

"Don't worry, you'll kick Foxglove's butt," Quince said, sitting next to her. Normally, eliminated contestants were supposed to leave, but Amber guessed that Cera and Emil were a good enough distraction for Quince to blend in.

"You think?"

"Sure," Quince said. "At least, I sure hope ya do. Foxglove could use getting knocked down a peg." As if on cue, Trixie called, "An another amazing combination from Fennekin! Excuse the pun, but this little fella is on fire today!"

Amber smiled, turning to Cyndaquil. It had healed quickly from the last match, and was ready to go.

The battle went on for a bit longer, until, predictably, Trixie called, "And time! The match goes to Foxglove and Fennekin!"

The crowd roared with applause, cheering and screaming. He was a popular contender, but so was she, Amber reminded herself.

Foxglove returned to the back room, Fennekin proudly on his shoulder. He stood proudly, grinning as Aster clapped him on the shoulder excitedly.

"We'll start the finals after this five minute break!" Trixie announced. "Good luck to both of you!"

Amber glanced at Foxglove, but he was talking to his circle of friends, fists clenched in an energized rant. Amber watched him for a moment before asking, "How many ribbons do you guys have, anyways?"

"Everyone in our group's only managed one at the most," Quince said. "Foxglove thinks he's already at the Grand Festival."

"And you guys are calling _me_ a rookie," Amber said. "Can't believe I'm getting picked on by a bunch of twelve year olds," she added with an amused smile.

"How old are you, then?" Quince asked.

"Sixteen."

Quince seemed to choke on her spit. "I thought you were just a really tall fourteen year old!" 

Amber smirked. "Nah, I've been training for two years now, but I'm just starting my journey."

"Two years and Cyndaquil and Feebas aren't evolved?" Quince asked in disbelief.

"They're both new," Amber said. "This guy's been with me since day one, though, it's pretty tough." She held up a Poké Ball.

"What's that?"

"My Aerodactyl," she replied proudly.

"Woah..." Quince said. "We're all fourteen and fifteen, and we've only been going for a couple months."

"We've been out for about...a week or so?" Amber said.

Quince blinked. "Oh, wait, you're from Aplite," she said. "Routes are shorter in that area, I almost forgot."

"Are other routes longer?"

"Absolutely," Quince said. "You'll be surprised."

Amber opened her mouth to reply, feeling nervousness creep into her stomach, but Trixie suddenly called, "And our intermission is over! Time for the final round of this week's Contest!"

Amber stood up, clutching her vest nervously. She returned Cyndaquil, trying to steady her breathing.

"You'll be fine," Quince told her. "Go get 'em."

Amber nodded, turning to the stage entrance.

─ ─ ─ ─ ─

"The last round of the Contest!" Trixie cried, Amber and Foxglove at their respective stages. "Our finalists, facing against one another. Amber of Aplite Town, versus Foxglove of Scoria City! Five minutes on the clock! Let's go!"

Amber wiped her palms on her pants, nervously looking at the audience. She felt slight relief as she saw Cera and Emil waving from the crowd.

"Fennekin, showtime!" Foxglove called, throwing out a Poké Ball. Fennekin appeared in a flash, the light slowly peeling off of it in a sparkling glow to reveal the Fire Type.

"Cyndaquil, spotlight!" Amber cried, tossing the Poké Ball. Sparkles swirled from Cyndaquil's body, the other Fire Type twirling into the air. It spun, landing neatly and chirping excitedly.

"Fire fighting fire!" Trixie exclaimed. "This will be an even and exciting match, no doubt!"

"Alright, let's do this quickly," Foxglove said. "Fennekin, Ember!"

Amber narrowed her eyes. "Cyndaquil, you use Ember, too!"

Both Fire Types opened their mouths, blasting pellets of fire at the other. They were evenly matched, the fire creating an explosion of sparkles between them. They lost the same amount of points.

"These two seem to be equals in strength!" Trixie said. "This _will_ be a close fight!"

"Alright, Quick Attack!" Amber shouted. Cyndaquil leapt through the fire, easily twirling through it, body glowing. It got closer, Fennekin jumping in surprise.

"Covet! Block it!" Foxglove ordered.

Fennekin's paw glowed pink, and it slammed it down on Cyndaquil, sending it flying backwards with a squeal.

"Fennekin once again showing its quick wit and movements!" Trixie said.

Amber grit her teeth. "Cyndaquil, Quick Attack, again! Get in close!" Cyndaquil bounded towards Fennekin again, body glowing like a comet.

"Get ready to use Covet again!" Foxglove called. Fennekin's paw glowed, and it prepared to strike. Cyndaquil leapt towards it, Fennekin raising its paw.

"Okay, jump up and use Double Kick!" Amber ordered.

Cyndaquil jumped up in the nick of time, light springing from its body in a small burst of sparkles. Its hind legs glowed, slamming into Fennekin and sending it reeling.

"What a great transition!" Trixie praised. "Impressive!"

"Psybeam while it's still close!" Foxglove shouted. Fennekin whipped its head around, pink light blasting from its mouth and sending Cyndaquil into the dirt, pink light and dirt flying into the air.

"These two Pokémon are extremely fast and extremely powerful, what a matchup!"

"Cyndaquil, are you okay?" Amber cried. Cyndaquil bounced to its feet, nodding determinedly.

"Flame Charge!" Foxglove called. Fennekin burst into fire, bounding across the battlefield.

"Flame Wheel!" Amber countered. Cyndaquil became coated in fire as well, wheeling towards Fennekin in a burst of speed.

They met in the middle, trying to push into the other. Sparks flew into the air with their efforts, like mini fireworks filling the sky. The crowd applauded as it happened, thoroughly stunned.

Then, suddenly, the fire blasted away from Cyndaquil's body. It leapt up, body glowing, but Amber didn't think anything of it, focused more on what came next.

Cyndaquil's body burst into the blinding yellow light of electricity. It slammed into Fennekin, easily overpowering it as it sent the other Fire Type flying, hitting the ground, hard, body buzzing with static.

"Cyndaquil has suddenly used an unexpected move!" Trixie cried. "That looks like a Wild Charge! Amazing!"

The electricity around Cyndaquil faded, bursting off of its body in a huge bout of sparks. Amber gasped as the glow on it faded as well.

Cyndaquil wasn't there anymore. In its place was a Quilava, letting out a loud cry.

"Wow!" Trixie exclaimed. "Looks like Cyndaquil had evolved mid-battle! That'll hurt Foxglove's score for sure!"

Amber's eyes widened as Quilava turned back to her, grinning.

"Okay, Quilava, get ready!" she shouted.

"Fennekin, get up!" Foxglove called, voice frantic. "Hurry, Flame Charge!"

"Wild Charge!" Amber ordered.

Bodies in their respective elements, the two slammed into each other repeatedly, explosions and sparkles bursting with each hit; points were docked with each as well.

"Thirty seconds remaining!" Trixie called. "They're still pretty neck and neck in points, despite it all! Who will win?"

The two kept bouncing off each other with their attacks, creating even more of a light show. Suddenly, Fennekin leapt back, flipping as it skidded backwards to a stop, eyes narrowed.

"Okay, Psybeam!" Foxglove said.

"Dodge it and use one more Wild Charge!" Amber shouted. Quilava cried out in agreement, leaping forward, body bursting with electricity. It started to dodge, but Fennekin turned, hitting it dead-on and sending up a blast of smoke and electrcity.

But Quilava didn't relent. Still electrified, it burst through the smoke, strands trailing after it. It slammed into Fennekin, sending it flying.

"Ember!" Foxglove called. Fennekin got to its feet, beginning to charge up its attack─

"And, time!" Trixie shouted. "Let's see the results!"

Amber turned to the screen, gasping as she saw.

Foxglove had only a sliver of points left, and Amber, a whole quarter. She burst into a grin, leaping off the stage and scooping up Quilava.

"Quilava, we won!" she cried, hugging it as tightly as she could. "You were amazing!"

Quilava gave a weak cry in return, likely short of breath from the hug.

Amber looked up as Trixie walked over to her, holding out a small case. "And the ribbon goes to Amber from Aplite Town!" she announced. "What a debut!"

─ ─ ─ ─ ─

"That was a great battle, Foxglove," Amber told him after the Contest, standing outside the Hall. Cera and Emil were behind her, Totodile and Absol accompanying them. Next to Foxglove was Aster; they had all bid farewell to Quince earlier.

"It sure was," Foxglove responded. "But just remember this, Amber, uh...what's your last name, again?"

"Cycad."

"Just you remember, Amber Cycad!" Foxglove quickly replied, pointing at her dramatically. "From this moment on, we are sworn rivals!"

Amber grinned, Quilava chirping to Vaporeon and Fennekin, who were standing with their Trainer. "Fine by me," she responded. "I'll see you at the next Contest in Coquina."

Amber returned to her companions, the three of them making their way to the Poké Center. All the way there, Cera raved on and on about Amber's victory.

" ─And then Cyndaquil _evolved!"_ she cried for the tenth time. "That was amazing!"

"You're starting to sound like Trixie," Emil teased. Absol barked in agreement.

They headed into one of the rooms, finally getting a chance to rest after the excitement of the day's contest. "We've got a lot of traveling ahead of us," Amber commented, staring at the ceiling. Quilava lay next to her head as she lay on one of the beds, both of them exhausted.

Emil nodded. "Towns and stuff are pretty tightly knit around here, so yeah, I guess it'll seem harder with the longer routes."

Cera stood confidently, Totodile mimicking her posture. "That's fine!" she said. "We can still rest. Fern will be back soon, so we can check out the meadow tomorrow in the meantime!"

"Meadow?" Amber asked.

Cera nodded. "There's a meadow practically connected to Dolomite Town, and there's tons of Fairy Types. I can practice for the Gym battle there."

Amber perked up. "I could catch another Pokémon for the next Contest."

Cera nodded cheerfully. "Great! It's settled, then. We'll go to the meadow tomorrow."

─ ─ ─ ─ ─

When the next morning came, Cera practically dragged Emil and Amber out of the Poké Center in her excitement. They were across town and heading for the field in no time.

"Cera, slow down!" Emil called, Absol even more out of breath as it tried to keep up.

Cera ignored them both, not stopping until they reached the opened gates of the meadow.

"Dolomite Meadow!" she announced triumphantly. Amber and Emil blinked as they saw Cera holding out her Poké Balls, throwing them into the air. "Come on out, guys!"

Riolu, Rampardos, and Totodile all appeared in a flash of light, the former of the two stretching and yawning. Totodile, on the other hand, bounced in excitement. It really had been a good match for Cera.

Amber blinked. "Okay. Aerodactyl, Quilava, Feebas, you too!" she added, calling them out. Aerodactyl twirled in the air, Quilava letting out an excited cry. Feebas luckily landed in a pond nearby, where it swam in circles happily.

"Chikorita, join the others!" Emil threw out the Ball, Chikorita appearing and waving its leaf. He crouched down to pet it. "I don't have you out nearly enough," he admitted quietly. To be fair, Emil didn't do a lot of battling, and Absol was usually out of its Poké Ball by default.

"Let's start over there!" Cera declared, pointing across the field, where a small group of Pokémon were scuffling. Rampardos, Totodile, and Riolu all let out similar cries of excitement, running with her.

Amber watched her go, turning to her own Pokémon. "Alright, so, we should work on some combinations while we've got this huge meadow at our disposal," she declared. After a pause, she added, "Aerodactyl, Quilava. You two. I don't know if any upcoming Contests are doubles, but it doesn't hurt to practice." Her two Pokémon chirped in agreement.

"Aerodactyl, Sunny Day!" she called. Aerodactyl threw a ball of energy from its mouth, sending it spiraling upwards. The light from the sun seemed to burst to life, shining brighter than it had. Aerodactyl's scales and Quilava's fur shone in the sparkling light.

"Okay, Quilava, you use Quick Attack!" Amber called. "Aerodactyl, Aerial Ace! Show off a bit!"

Quilava took off, body glowing and leaving a defined streak, like a comet trail. Aerodactyl's body began to glow in the same way, and it flew above before dropping down. It flew directly over Quilava, giving the illusion of a double-lined trail behind then as they ran circles, in perfect sync.

"Ancient Power!" Amber cried. Aerodactyl's eyes glowed, and the huge boulders of its attack appeared, suspended in the air. 

"Quilava, Wild Charge!"

Quilava's body burst into electricity, and it leapt up, smashing through one of the boulders, giving a blast of glitter and sparks. It kept this up, before suddenly hitting a rather large boulder. It bounced off, harshly falling to the ground with a loud groan.

"Quilava, are you alright?" Amber called worriedly. Quilava easily got to its feet, shaking its head out. Amber sighed, crossing her arms. It was a good combination, but they'd need to work on Quilava's stamina before they did anything on stage.


	11. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more mafia shenanigans
> 
> also edit i updated the first chapter with the world rules; pokemon only "poof" into dust if it's a formal battle; if they just get attacked badly outside of it (like absol in the beginning of this chapter) they'll just be rendered too weak to fight

Emil knelt behind a large rock, silently watching from behind. Absol crouched, watching next to Emil, and Chikorita sat on Absol's back, trying to peek over the rock.

Emil nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned, seeing Cera crouched right next to him, Totodile on her shoulder. He quickly composed himself and gave her a dirty look.

"Sorry," Cera said. "What--" She was cut off as Emil shushed her and gestured for her to lower her voice. Whispering, she asked, "What are you doing?"

Still silent, Emil pointed beyond the rock. Craning her neck, Cera looked to see. In the flora, picking pieces of flowers and grass, was a little pink Pokémon. It sniffed at flowers, creating a small collection tucked behind the pair of tiny wings on its back.

"Oh, a Clefairy!" Cera said with a smile. "You wanna catch it?"

Emil nodded. "I saw a Marill earlier, but it ran away. I don't wanna scare this one. They're rare, even here."

Cera nodded, thinking it over. "Hmmm...maybe you can lure it out," she suggested, though from the way they were positioned, it looked like Emil was the one that needed to be lured from hiding.

"Can Absol use Psychic?" she asked.

Emil looked at Absol, who shook its head. Cera felt frustrated; all of her Pokémon were too rowdy for this, Totodile proving her point as it made a quacking noise that she had to shush.

Emil hesitated, eyes narrowed, before whispering, "Absol, use Psycho Cut."

Absol nodded and soared over their heads and the rock, scythe glowing bright pink. It swung its head, sending a wave of energy at the Clefairy. Clefairy happened to turn around to look at that exact moment, causing the wave to narrowly miss it.

Absol froze as Clefairy stared at it. Clefairy's eyes began to glow, and Emil, Cera, Totodile, and Chikorita ducked behind the rock again, bracing themselves, as a blast of pink light and smoke exploded, the light flashing brightly and filling the whole area. When it finally faded, they tentatively looked to see what had happened. Clefairy was gone, and Absol was splayed out on the ground, out cold.

"I don't think any Pokémon do that much damage to Absol," Cera remarked as she saw it.

Emil climbed over the rock, running over to make sure Absol was okay. It cried out weakly, resting its head on his lap.

"Chikorita, use Heal Pulse," he told the Grass Type. Chikorita nodded, and a wave of pink came from it, sweeping over Absol. Some of its wounds began to fade, but it was still exhausted. Emil furrowed his eyebrows. "Absol, return," he told it. Absol was drawn back into its Poké Ball in a stream of red light.

"Now you _have_ to snag that Clefairy," Cera told Emil. He nodded in agreement.

"Cera, what in God's name was that?" Amber demanded, suddenly standing near them, Quilava by her side. Cera blinked in surprise, having thought she was on the other side of the meadow. Looking over, she saw Feebas swimming lazy circles, and Aerodactyl laying in the grass. 

"For once it wasn't my fault," Cera said quickly. "Emil was trying to catch a Clefairy, and, well, it didn't take to him too much."

Amber shook her head. "That was a really strong Dazzling Gleam," she said. "The other Trainers here will be all over that."

As if on cue, they heard a shout from a few yards away.

"Amber Cycad!" came Foxglove's voice. "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon!"

Amber jumped, turning to look at him. Foxglove wasn't alone; his traveling companion, the Trainer named Aster, was there, too. He had a Wartortle by his side. Foxglove waved to their group. "Was that Dazzling Gleam from you guys?" he asked, looking around with wide eyes.

"It was even bigger than my Ralts can do," Aster added.

"Kind of," Amber said. "It was a wild Pokémon they were trying to catch." She pointed towards Emil and Cera with her thumb.

Foxglove brightened. "Oh, these are the friends you were talking about!" he said. "I'm Foxglove, this is my buddy Aster." Aster waved to them.

"I'm Cera, that's my brother Emil," Cera replied. "Are you both Coordinators?"

"He is, I'm not," Aster said. "I'm training for the Gyms."

"Me too!"

The two immediately got into an intense discussion on the topic, going back and forth about future badges and the League.

"This is my partner, Totodile," she told Aster. Pointing, she added. "And those two over there are my other Pokémon, Rampardos and Riolu."

Aster looked impressed. "I have Wartortle here and my Ralts," he said. "Wartortle just evolved the other day. We've been pretty tough since our second Gym win in Gabbro last week."

Cera figured it was safe to assume the first was Dolomite Town. "I'd have two by now, but Fern was at a Contest when we got here, and then he left to help with that stuff that happened at the fossil station."

"I heard about that," Aster said. "Weren't you guys there with Strya?"

Cera nodded. "We had to fight off Team Genesis. They're back again; they stole a bunch of Kabuto."

Aster glanced at Wartortle, who gave a nod. "Well, that settles it!" he exclaimed. "We have to battle! You fought Team Genesis, there's no way I can pass up a match with you."

Cera blinked in surprise. "I didn't say we won."

"You still faced 'em!" Aster countered. "That's enough for me! Let's go!"

"What's going on?" Amber asked, looking away from the conversation she was having with Foxglove.

"I'm battling Aster," Cera answered, already mirroring Aster's excitement. "Let's do two Pokémon each."

They took their places, standing squarely across from one another. Rampardos and Riolu finally took notice of them, the two Pokémon looking over.

"Riolu, you're up, c'mon over here!" Cera called. Riolu perked up, quickly running over to stand in front of its Trainer.

"Ralts, you too!" Aster added, throwing a Poké Ball. The little white and green Pokémon appeared, its hands pressed together politely. Riolu blinked, following its stance and giving a kind bow.

"I'll start us off," Cera said confidently. "Riolu, use Feint!" Riolu nodded, paw glowing as it dashed forward, coming down to strike.

"Now!" Aster called. "Shadow Sneak!"

Riolu leapt up, towering over Ralts. As its shadow fell over its opponent, Ralts seemed to melt into it. Riolu landed, the glowing on its paw fading as it looked around, confused. It turned towards Cera, unsure of what to do.

"Now! Strike!" Aster called. With Riolu's back turned, Ralts suddenly appeared behind it, slamming into it and and sending Riolu flying.

"Riolu!" Cera called. "You okay?"

Riolu rolled over, getting to its feet. It barked at Ralts, eyes narrowed.

"Great!" Cera said. "Feint, again!"

Aster crossed his arms. "Come on, I though you were about to get your second badge," he called. "Riolu, Shadow Sneak, again."

As Riolu leapt, Ralts once more disappeared, but Riolu was ready, eyes narrowed.

"Copycat!" Cera called.

Aster widened his eyes as Ralts leapt towards Riolu, who quickly dove into Ralts's shadow, the two switching places. Before Aster or Ralts could react, Riolu appeared again, slamming into Ralts. It wailed as it was flung across the battlefield, struggling to its feet.

"Psychic Types can't stand Ghost Types," Cera said with a grin. "Great job, Riolu."

Riolu barked, waving its paw determinedly.

"Ralts, get up!" Aster called. "Can you still battle?" Ralts stood and nodded. "Great! Use Disarming Voice!"

Ralts let out a wail, and the pink sound waves were visible as they moved towards Riolu.

"Riolu, brace yourself!" Cera called, giving no orders to dodge. Riolu turned back to her, eyes round. She nodded to it. It turned back to the fast-coming energy wave. Right before it made impact, Cera opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as Riolu suddenly dropped and rolled, dodging it.

"Riolu, you have to trust me!" Cera told it, feeling a pang of frustration. She knew Riolu was still new to an extent, but so was Feebas, and Amber had performed beautifully.

Riolu turned back to Cera, still visibly unsure as to why its Trainer would try to get it hit by a Fairy Type move. Cera sighed, turning back to the battle. "Riolu--"

She was interrupted as the ground suddenly shook, everyone stopping to see what happened. 

At the far end of the meadow was a Gardevoir, flanked by two Gallade on either side. One thing made them stand out, though; all three were hued in blue where they were usually green. Facing them were three Liepard, and, behind them, Cera could make out three Trainers in familiar uniforms.

"Team Genesis," she spat, clenching her fist.

The Liepard hissed, poised for combat. Gardevoir held out an arm, singing out. The sound was beautiful, but the tone, with Gardevoir's body language told Cera that it was angry. The Gallade raised their arms, ready to defend the meadow.

"Are they guards of the meadow?" Cera asked aloud, to no one in particular.

"Gardevoir's the queen," Aster said, crossing his arms as he watched. "And the Gallade are her knights. They protect the Pokémon in the meadow since a lot of them are rare or powerful. Poachers come here often."

"They're wild, though," Cera said. "Isn't it fair game?"

"Not to Gardevoir," he replied. "If a Pokémon is unhappy with who's catching it, she'll fight to the end for its safety. And a lot of the poachers aren't Trainers who come here for new friends. They catch them by the numbers and sell them."

"And you know all this, how?" Amber asked.

"We've been in town for a little while," Foxglove said. "We learned a lot of the town's history from the locals and the Gym leader."

One of the Liepard yowled in defiance, and the Gallade crouched, blades on their arms glowing. Gardevoir held out her arms again, light glowing from her palms. The lead Liepard opened its mouth, suddenly launching a Shadow Ball attack at the guardians. It was quick, and hit Gardevoir square in the chest. She crumpled down, the Gallade swiftly coming to her aid.

Cera could hear the Team Genesis members speaking now. "Liepard, round up all of the Carbink!" The Liepard _mrrowed_ in agreement, bounding around to circle the meadow. Cera hadn't noticed them before, but she could see the Carbink now; they'd been hiding among the flowers and against boulders, likely because of people like this.

"Gardevoir's hurt!" Aster cried.

Emil threw out a Poké Ball. "Absol, stop those Liepard!" Hs turned to his Chikorita next to him. "Go see what you can do to help Gardevoir."

Chikorita nodded, bounding to the Gallade and Gardevoir. The Gallade were defensive at first, but eased up as Chikorita showed it was using its Heal Pulse.

"Ralts, you help, too," Aster said, and Ralts joined Chikorita in using Heal Pulse.

"Quilava, go with Absol!" Amber called. Quilava nodded, opening its mouth in an Ember attack to match Absol's Psycho Cut. Absol's attack didn't do harm, but it made the Liepard they faced startled enough for Quilava to get a good attack in.

"Vaporeon, showtime!" Foxglove shouted. "Use Water Pulse!"

"Help Vaporeon, Riolu!" Cera added. Riolu leapt towards the second Liepard, paw glowing in a Force Palm attack.

The third Liepard was still open, claws outstretched as it slammed into a Carbink, the small Fairy Type wailing. It backed up, flanked by two other Carbink who were also cowering in fear.

Cera looked around. Aerodactyl was still by the pool, wings protectively covering Feebas. Rampardos had taken a place with Gardevoir and the others, threatening to attack if the Genesis members got close.

Before Cera could call an order, Foxglove and Aster shouted, and Fennekin, joined by Wartortle, attacked the third Liepard, fending it off.

The Liepard were seeming to lose, slowly beginning to hiss and back off as the attacks from the Trainers persisted. Gardevoir slowly stood up, supported by the Gallade. But the Team Genesis members were nowhere to be found. Cera was the first to notice this, and suddenly jumped up, Totodile realizing in the same moment.

"Alright, Gabite, let's finish this!" one of them suddenly yelled, barely visible among the smoke and dust that was kicked up by the battling. Two of the three threw Poké Balls into the air, their Dragon Types appearing in flashes of light. 

"Dragon Types in Dolomite Meadow isn't the smartest move I've seen," Emil muttered. 

There was a sudden crash and boom, and as they looked over, Pokémon were bursting as they grew too tired and defeated. All three Liepard were down for the count, but not before taking a good number down with them.

Besides Rampardos, Chikorita, and Ralts, who were with Gardevoir, and Aerodactyl, who was still shielding Feebas, and now a couple of the meadow Pokémon who had run over for shelter, all of the Pokémon except for Riolu had poofed into sparkling dust and were retreating to their Poké Balls. Absol was also intact, but it was out cold, protected by Rampardos as well.

But Riolu still looked ready to burst, too. Cera quickly dashed over, scooping it up in her arms. Luckily, Chikorita ran over at that moment, offering a Heal Pulse despite how tired it looked itself.

"Ugh, how troublesome," one of the Genesis members, a young lady, said. She pointed towards the Carbink. "Gabite, Sand Tomb!" Both Gabite slammed their arms to the earth, sending up dirt in a whirlwind, corralling the Carbink into one spot.

Riolu leapt forward with a growl, paws glowing with orange light. Cera opened her mouth to tell it to stay back, but it was too late as Gabite struck with a powerful Dragon Claw in midair, sending it flying backwards. Cera caught it, grunting as she hit the ground.

"Riolu?" she asked as it wrenched from her grip, body glowing with orange light. It charged, slamming into Gabite as the Dragon Type gloated over the good hit. Gabite toppled to the ground before bursting into brown and indigo light, snaking back to one of the Genesis members.

"You used Counter!" Cera said happily as Riolu bounded back to her. "See, that's why I wanted you to brace yourself before. That was an awesome attack." Riolu barked, pleased with itself, though it looked very tired.

The remaining Gabite strengthened its attack, the Carbink whimpering as the grip around them tightened. Suddenly, a pink figure appeared, slamming into Gabite and throwing off its attack in a silver flash of light. 

"Clefairy!" Emil cried, recognizing the flowers tucked in its wings. "It's back!"

Clefairy turned, still in the air, and a pink blast of light showered over Gabite--its infamous Dazzling Gleam. Gabite burst into dust like its companion. The Sand Tomb attack disappeared, freeing the Carbink.

The Genesis member who hadn't sent out a Gabite threw out a Poké Ball, a Garchomp appearing with a roar.

Cera took a step back, glancing back as her friends surrounded her. Rampardos was still guarding, along with Aerodactyl, and there wasn't much else they could do without risking their safety. Sure, Riolu had gotten stronger, but nothing would be able to knock down this Garchomp.

"Gardevoir, Teleport!" a voice suddenly called. Gardevoir appeared in front of Garchomp, a man standing next to her, holding her hand. The man let go, dusting off his clothes.

"Fern!" Cera cried, feeling a rush of relief as she recognized the Gym leader.

Fern waved, turning to the Genesis members, who looked a tad less confident than they had moments before.

"Gardevoir, it's time to protect your kingdom," Fern continued, raising his hand. On it was a ring with a silver sphere, flecked with pink and green. Gardevoir nodded, letting out another sing-song note.

Gardevoir's body began to glow, and light flew all around her before bursting off of her like a shed shell. Gardevoir was larger, appearing to wear a striking black ball gown.

"She Mega Evolved," Emil breathed, all five Trainers watching in stunned silence.

"Misty Terrain," Fern said calmly. Gardevoir raised her arms, pink light spreading across the entire meadow, a Fairy aura surrounding everyone. The Garchomp looked unsure of itself now, taking a step back and baring its teeth.

"Alright, finish this," Fern said. "Moonblast."

The light from Gardevoir's Moonblast made Clefairy's Dazzling Gleam pale in comparison. The light filled the entire meadow, suddenly snapping into one beam of light focusing on Garchomp, blasting it into dust.

The Genesis member who had sent out Garchomp cursed under his breath. "Let's retreat," he told his two companions. "We can take them another time."

Gardevoir let out an enraged cry, raising an arm towards them. "You can try," Fern added, eyes narrowed, arms crossed.

The leading Genesis member shook his head angrily. "Noivern, get us out of here," he called, throwing a Poké Ball. The other two followed suit, riding out of sight on their Pokémon.

"Should we go after them?" Cera asked, tentatively approaching Fern. He shook his head, and the Mega Evolution seemed to burst from Gardevoir's body as she reverted back to normal.

Gardevoir drifted to the Carbink still huddled together. She reached out, letting the Rock Types float into her arms. They stayed like that for moment, Gardevoir glowing with her Heal Pulse. Once they calmed down, she opened her arms, and the Carbink floated away, scattering.

"Thank you, Gardevoir," Fern told her. "Go make sure everyone is safe, I don't think too much damage was done." Gardevoir nodded, drifting to her Gallade knights.

"Fern, that was awesome," Aster said. "Are you its Trainer? You used the evolution stone..."

Fern shook his head. "The only thing needed for Mega Evolution is the stone, and a strong bond between a Trainer and a Pokémon," he answered. "I come here often. She offered to knight me once," he added with a smile of amusement.

"We should go to the Pokémon Center," Emil told Cera quietly with a nod to Gardevoir, who was knelt next to Absol, trying to heal it. The Trainers walked over to them, blocked by the Gallade.

"They're fine," Fern told Gallade. "They helped protect the Carbink." The Gallade reluctantly stepped back.

"Rampardos, thanks a lot," Cera told the Rock Type. Rampardos rumbled in response as it was returned to its Poké Ball. She returned Riolu as well, the Fighting Type looking relieved.

Amber was turned to the pool, nodding to Aerodactyl. She returned it along with Feebas.

Aster returned Ralts, and Emil called back Chikorita. "Absol, come on," he added softly, returning it as well.

"Why do so many poachers take the Carbink from here?" Cera asked Fern tentatively.

Fern idly pet one of the remaining Carbink's head fur. "According to legend, Dolomite Meadow is the origin of the Ozoic region. The story goes that the Legendary Pokémon Xerneas brought life to this spot, and it spread across to create the region from here," he explained. "Some believe it to be Xerneas's life-creating properties that allowed for Mission Rebirth to be possible. So, poachers believe that Pokémon here, especially Carbink, have special energy in them."

Fern paused before speaking again. "We can handle it from here," he told the Trainers. "Though, you have been a big help." He turned, nodding to Aster. "You've gotten stronger since our Gym Battle." Aster nodded, beaming.

"And you," Fern added, nodding to Cera. "Come back this afternoon, and I'll have a proper battle if you'd like." Cera nodded excitedly, kind of shocked it wasn't noon yet. 

It had been kind of a hectic morning.


	12. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> gym battle time hell yeah
> 
> some cool plot shit next chapter
> 
> also dont forget to drop a kudos / comment if ya like it

"Are we all ready?" Cera called, fists clenched. Standing in front of her, Riolu, Rampardos, and Totodile cheered excitedly. Amber and Emil stood with her, Quilava beside her, and Absol next to Emil.

The sun was still high in the sky, but it wouldn't be long until it began to lower.

"Are you sure you don't want to borrow Aerodactyl?" Amber asked. "It's got Steel Wing, which would be helpful."

"We've got Iron Head, we'll be okay!" Cera answered cheerfully, patting Rampardos. She gave a thumbs up to her team, returning Riolu and Rampardos. Totodile stood next to her, squawking excitedly.

Amber sighed, exchanging a glance of _well, I tried_ with Emil before following Cera as she pushed the Gym doors open.

It was obvious that the designer of the Gym had taken a good look at Dolomite Meadow. It was pastel and flowery and looked like it had Gardevoir's Misty Terrain in effect perpetually. There was a platform on the back end, the back room covered by a pretty pink curtain. The roof was made of colored glass and it glistened above.

"Fern really goes all out," Cera said, blinking as she looked around. "At least we can tell what Type of Pokémon he uses."

"As if you couldn't from the rest of the town?" Emil responded with a smirk. He had a point; with Dolomite Meadow so close, Fairy Types were very popular with the locals; especially Carbink.

It was then Fern made his entrance, dramatic and showy as expected. He stepped from the back room, pulling the curtain aside and standing on the platform in front of it. He turned on his heel, a big pink Pokémon seeming to magically appear by his side. It matched his pose of holding out an arm, a hand on the hip.

"Clefable, give them a warm welcome," Fern said. Clefable chirped, leaping from the platform and floating down to meet the Trainers. They offered amused smiles, patting the Fairy Type on the head. Emil looked excited to see it, probably still thinking about the Clefairy from earlier. 

"Welcome to the Dolomite Gym!" Fern called. "I take you'll be my opponent today?" He pointed to Cera.

She nodded. "Yes sir."

"Fantastic," he replied. "We should begin right away. Your Pokémon preformed impeccably today in defeating Team Genesis, and I'd like to see if that was all just luck."

The referee joined them then, who Cera recognized as Fern's sister. Her Kirlia twirled, standing beside her.

"The battle will be between the Gym leader, Fern, and Cera of Aplite Town. Three Pokémon each," she started. "The battle will end when both sides are out of Pokémon that can fight, and only the challenger may switch out. Begin!"

"Whimsicott, show them what you're made of!" Fern began, throwing out a Poké Ball. From it appeared the same brown and green Pokémon that Fern had used at the fossil station. It twirled as it landed, singing excitedly.

"Totodile, go!" Cera called. Totodile squawked, leaping from her side to face Whimsicott.

"Start us off with a Tailwind!" Fern ordered. Whimsicott nodded, and a gust of wind blew from behind it, swirling around the battlefield. It faded, but was still there, faintly. Cera had no idea what _that_ move did.

"Totodile, Ice Fang!" she called. Totodile nodded, jaws glowing with an icy sheen as it leapt forward. Whimsicott quickly dodged it, movements nearly unseeable.

"Tailwind is one of my favorite moves," Fern said. "Speeds things up for a bit. Now, Whimsicott, Gust, if you will." Whimsicott jumped up, a powerful blast of wind slamming into Totodile and sending it flying backwards.

"Aqua Jet!" Cera called. Totodile burst into water, shooting upwards.

"Gust, again!" Fern ordered. Whimsicott sent another wave of wind. Totodile hit the force, pushing against it. It broke through and slammed into Whimsicott, bouncing back and landing easily.

Fern looked impressed. "Whimsicott, are you alright?" he asked. Whimsicott flipped onto its feet, eyes narrowed determinedly. "Great. Use Energy Ball." A ball of green light grew in its hands, and it threw it at Totodile.

"Water Gun!" Cera countered. Totodile sent a blast of water against the Energy Ball, the two attacks forcing against each other before they both exploded.

Totodile narrowed its eyes at Whimsicott, teeth bared. Then, suddenly, it glanced up, turning to look at Cera in surprise. Whimsicott had sensed it as well, judging by the look of worry it had.

Tailwind had finally petered out.

"Ice Fang!" Cera shouted. Quick as anything, Totodile bounded forward, teeth glowing. Whimsicott didn't get a chance to react before crying out as the attack landed. 

"Tailwind, please!" Fern ordered.

"Don't give it the chance!" Cera countered.

Totodile kept up its attack, snapping at Whimsicott repeatedly. It kept flinching and waving its arms, trying to avoid it.

"Whimsicott, Moonblast!" Fern called. Cera blinked in surprise. This must have been his trump card. Whimsicott let out a cry, hands glowing with a pink light.

"Quick, use Aqua Jet to dodge!" Cera called out. Whimsicott was fast, though, getting ready to aim just as Totodile conjured its attack. Totodile blasted into the air, but Whimsicott shifted, aiming to knock its opponent to the ground.

Then it fired.

Cera jumped as she suddenly got an idea, praying to the higher powers that it would work. "Totodile, keep up the Aqua Jet and spin around the Moonblast!"

Totodile quickly caught itself from its panic, turning downwards and shooting towards Whimsicott. It turned, making a spiral around the beam of light from Whimsicott's attack. The trail of glowing blue behind Totodile suddenly tightened around Moonblast, and the attacks combined. Totodile slammed into Whimsicott, and an explosion of purple blew into the air.

When the smoke cleared, Totodile stood over Whimsicott, the Gym leader's Pokémon just barely standing. It abruptly fell, burst, and pink and green smoke twirled back to Fern and the Poké Ball.

"Whimsicott has been defeated!" Fern's sister called.

"That's fine," Fern said calmly, as if he'd won. "Carbink, come on out!"

"Totodile, d'ya wanna keep going?" Cera asked. Totodile, only having had been hit by Gust, nodded excitedly.

"Carbink, Gyro Ball!" Fern called. Carbink glowed with silver light, trilling as it spun, slamming into Totodile before it could react.

Cera blinked. For a Rock Type, Carbink was fast. "Okay, use Aqua Jet!" she ordered.

Totodile burst into its attack, shooting up and flying towards Carbink.

"Double Team!" Fern countered. Copies of Carbink started appearing all over, and Totodile stopped in the air, looking around, confused. 

"Totodile, behind you!" Cera cried. "Aqua Jet!"

"Smack Down!" Fern called. Before Totodile could attack, a huge glowing rock slammed into it, sending it towards the ground. It burst into blue smoke on impact, floating back to Cera.

Cera sighed. At least Totodile had gotten to win the first round. "Riolu, you're up next!" she called, sending out her next Pokémon.

Riolu appeared, already prepared to fight.

"Force Palm!" Cera ordered. Riolu leapt forward, paw glowing with the normal orange light.

"Protect!" Fern retorted. A bright blue wall of light appeared between Carbink and Riolu, blocking the Force Palm. Riolu grit its teeth, leaping back.

"Okay, follow it up with Dazzling Gleam!" Fern called.

"Quick, use Copycat!" Cera ordered. The battlefield lit up with Carbink's attack, but not before Riolu threw its arms up, using the same force field Carbink had used to block Dazzling Gleam.

Fern narrowed his eyes. "Gyro Ball!"

"Riolu, brace yourself!" Cera called. Riolu sent her a nervous glance, but nodded, standing squarely across from Carbink as it twirled forcefully towards Riolu.

When Carbink slammed into it, Riolu was ready and quickly sprung backwards, body glowing with orange light as it prepared its Counter attack.

"Okay, strike!" Cera called. In sync with her, Riolu sprung upwards, slamming into Carbink. It cried out, wobbling backwards.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Fern ordered.

"Quick, Copycat!" Cera retorted. A Steel Type move like Gyro Ball would be sure to finish the job.

Body glowing, Riolu curled into a ball, twirling towards Carbink like the other Pokémon had done moments before. Carbink cried out, Dazzling Gleam attack interrupted as Gyro Ball slammed into it, sending Carbink up in brown and pink smoke.

Fern held out the Poké Ball as Carbink retreated. "You're not too far off yourself," he commented, nodding to Riolu. Despite it landing Gyro Ball, it had still taken a substantial amount of damage from Dazzling Gleam. It slowly began to fall forward, and Cera quickly returned it before it could faint. That was a draw, she decided.

"One left each, yeah?" Fern called, holding up a Poké Ball. 

Cera nodded, eyes narrowed. "Rampardos, go!" she cried.

"Azumarill, you're on!" Fern added.

As Rampardos appeared, a smaller, blue and white Pokémon joined it, bouncing on its feet.

"Azumarill, Bubblebeam!" Fern shouted. Azumarill opened its mouth, sending a blast of bubbles at Rampardos.

"Iron Head!" Cera countered. Rampardos leapt above the Bubblebeam with surprising height, head glowing with a silver sheen.

"Meet it with Iron Tail!" Fern countered. Azumarill stopped its Bubblebeam, leaping up, its tail glowing. It slammed into Rampardos, the Iron Tail and Head forcing against each other before bouncing away from one another, both Pokémon roughly hitting the ground.

Cera grimaced. If Azumarill was an even match against her _Rampardos,_ there would be a problem.

"Aqua Tail!" Fern ordered. Azumarill leapt forward, tail glowing bright blue. 

"Dodge it and use Headbutt!" Cera called. As Azumarill's tail came down, Rampardos ducked, turning and bashing its head into Azumarill, sending it flying across the battlefield.

Azumarill landed roughly, slowly getting to its feet. It exchanged a nod with Fern, turning back to face Rampardos.

"Use Bubblebeam, again!" Fern ordered. Azumarill sent another attack Rampardos's way.

"Iron Head!" Cera said.

Rampardos leapt to avoid it again, but this time, Azumarill turned, still aiming at Rampardos and hitting it squarely. Rampardos wailed, landing heavily on the ground.

"Use Aqua Tail!" Fern called.

"Iron Head, again!"

Azumarill spun, tail glowing, ready to strike again. Rampardos turned upwards, dodging and slamming into its opponent, sending it flying backwards again. Azumarill was fast, but Rampardos had brute strength on its side. Plus, Azumarill looked ready to burst.

"Bubblebeam!" Fern called, pointing across the battlefield.

"Flamethrower and then Iron Head!" Cera retorted.

The attacks met in the middle, causing an explosion on impact. As smoke filled the field, Rampardos charged through, using the smog to cover itself. As Azumarill looked around, Rampardos struck, its opponent bursting into pinks and blue smoke, billowing above the collided Bubblebeam and Flamethrower.

"Azumarill has been defeated!" Fern's sister announced. "The victor is Rampardos and Cera!"

Stunned for a moment, Cera burst into cheering, running over to her partner and wrapping it in a hug. As much as she could, anyways; the Rock Type _was_ huge.

"Congratulations," Fern said, leaping down from the platform nimbly, like a cat. "You're a skilled Trainer. I can tell you've been raising your Pokémon well."

"Thank you so much," Cera said, still embracing Rampardos. It made a loud purring noise, nuzzling the top of her head.

"Here--the Crystal Badge," he said, holding out a hand as Cera finally let go of Rampardos. The badge was tinged with pinks and blues and purples, gleaming in the light from the stained glass ceiling.

Cera took it, feeling ecstatic. "Thanks!" she said again.

Cera, with Amber and Emil, headed out of the Gym. Rampardos was resting in its Poké Ball, and the trio was ready to finally leave Dolomite Town.

Emil paused as they walked, glancing in one of the bushes.

"You alright?" Cera asked, turning away from her conversation with Amber to look at her brother.

Emil nodded, not turning from the shrub. "Yeah, you guys go to the Center without me, I'll catch up."

Cera hesitated, but nodded, turning back to talk to Amber, the two girls walking ahead.

Emil walked closer to the bush, having had noticed something. A sparkle, maybe. A flash of pink. He looked around it, frowning as he didn't see anything in the bushes. Perhaps he'd imagined it.

Then, as he backed up, he saw it again, and quickly looked into the bushes again. Sure enough, there was a Clefairy, with the prominent flowers in its wings.

"You're the Clefairy from this morning!" Emil exclaimed. Clefairy jumped in surprise, turning to look at Emil.

"Wait--don't run," Emil quickly said as Clefairy began to look flighty. "I want to be your friend."

Clefairy turned to look at Emil for a moment, and he felt a spark of hope that it would come over nicely after all. But then it twitched its wings, suddenly bouncing away in one quick movement.

Emil sighed, watching it disappear. He hoped that he'd see it again. He still hadn't caught a Pokémon yet. Even if he wasn't a battler, he was itching to catch another Pokémon like the girls had done.


	13. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> get ready

"Finally!" Cera said as the three stood at the beginning of Route 56. "On the road again!"

"The routes are longer from here on out, though," Amber commented. Next to her, Quilava chirped in agreement.

"That's just more chance to train!" Cera told her with a grin. On her shoulder, Totodile made a noise of agreement.

"The next town is Oolite Town," Emil read from the map on his Pokédex. "There's a farm there and a daycare! That's so cool."

"Is there no Gym?" Cera asked, already looking disappointed.

Emil shook his head. "The next Gym is in Coquina City, but you should take advantage of  the extra time. The Gym leader, Leaelly, is pretty well known for her strength. Plus, she uses Water Types. You don't have any counter for that."

Cera rolled her eyes. "I can improvise," she replied. "We'll learn a new move for Riolu to use!"

Emil stared at her incredulously for a moment. Somehow the more obvious issue of Rampardos having a weakness, or of Totodile being the same Type completely went over her head like the fastest Pidgey using Quick Attack.

"Alright," Emil finally said. "This route isn't harsh terrain-wise, it's just very long. But we should keep a lookout for wild Pokémon, since they're more likely to get scared and attack us here. There's not as much stuff besides grass for them to hide behind."

"Says here there's Growlithe around," Amber said excitedly, Pokédex in hand. "I've been wanting more Fire Types."

"We can look on the way, then," Cera replied.

"Hopefully there's some cover ahead," Emil added with a nervous glance to the sky. It was overcast, and clouds were threatening to pour down below.

"It's always raining when we travel," Cera muttered, despite the fact that they'd been traveling barely a week.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before they crammed themselves under a large oak, trying to avoid the rain thrumming around them. Quilava and Absol were both returned, but Totodile happily laid a few feet in front of the trio, soaking in the water and mud.

"I bet Feebas would like this weather," Cera commented, nudging Amber, who gave her a wry look.

"Not in those shallow puddles, it wouldn't," she replied. As she spoke, there was a rustle in the branch in front of her, and a little green Pokémon suddenly dropped into view. Amber stared at it for a moment before pulling out her Pokédex.

 _"Burmy, the Bagworm Pokémon,"_ it said robotically. _"To shelter itself from cold, wintry winds, it covers itself with a cloak made of twigs and leaves."_

"Cute," Amber said. "It's a Bug Type."

"What's it doing?" Emil asked, patting Totodile's head as it trotted back over to them. "They don't usually just come out to talk to people. They're pretty timid."

"Wait, look," Cera said, leaning over Amber to point. At a closer inspection, the Burmy was chirping and making noises, trying to call attention to itself.

There was more rustling, and they looked around as more Burmpy appeared until half a dozen were scattered around them, dangling from the branches. They all chattered, seemingly anxious about something.

"What's wrong with them?" Cera added, eyes brows furrowed. Totodile squawked curiously.

"They're not the only ones," Emil said. "Look."

Gazing around the area, they could see Pokémon all over behaving strangely; Mankey were fidgeting nervously, Buneary were huddled together, looking around, Ledyba and Mothim were fluttering away, and Cera could even see a Persian hissing anxiously as it looked around, using its body to shield a few small Meowth.

Cera exchanged a glance with Amber. "What's going--"

All three ducked, covering their heads with their arms as the route suddenly lit up, the sky flashing.

"The storm's getting bad," Emil said, slowly lowering his arms. "Is that why the Pokémon are acting weird?"

"It's just the weather," Amber said. "They shouldn't be freaking out like this, especially since they're all native to the area."

"Look!" Cera suddenly cried, pointing. They heard rumbling, and saw something moving quickly through the rain, kicking up dust. Pokémon dove away, making room as the figure plowed through.

"What is that?" Amber added, slowly moving from sitting to a crouch. The others followed suit.

Cera held up her Pokédex. "A Tauros," she said. "I've never seen one up close before."

"It doesn't look happy," Amber commented.

The Tauros came into view now, suddenly veering to the left and charging right at them.

They all cried out, quickly running out of the way just as the large Pokémon slammed into the tree trunk, grunting as it stepped back, shaking its head.

"Tauros don't live on this route, do they?" Cera asked her brother, staring incredulously as the Tauros pawed at the ground angrily.

Emil shook his head. "They don't, usually."

"Here it comes again!" Amber called. Tauros charged, and it only narrowly missed them, swerving to avoid falling into a pond.

Cera held up a Poké Ball, eyes narrowed. "Rampardos--"

"Wait, don't," Emil quickly said. "It won't do well in the rain. Neither will Aerodactyl," he added, glancing at Amber.

Cera lowered her arm, eyebrows furrowed. It was true; rain tended to irritate Rampardos too much for it to focus on a task. Plus, it made it grow easily weary. It wasn't hard for her to guess the same applied to Quilava. And she already knew Absol hated the rain.

She glanced at Totodile on her shoulder. It was far too small to try to hold back Tauros. "Maybe Riolu?" she offered.

"Can it handle it?" Emil asked. "I know Riolu's tough, but it's still a small Pokémon."

Cera turned as she heard the Tauros let out an angry huff. "We don't have time to decide," she said. "Riolu, Force Palm!"

She threw the Poké Ball, and Riolu appeared in a flash of light, paw already glowing. It landed, using the momentum to leap above Tauros as it charged forward. It made contact, Force Palm smashing into Tauros.

And then, Riolu was flung backwards, slamming into the ground at Cera's feet. She quickly scooped it up into her arms.

Returning Riolu, she turned to the others. "Now what?"

Amber looked behind the siblings, eyes widening. "Don't look now, but we have another problem."

While Tauros was recovering from its last charge, another Pokémon was raging a few yards away; a huge yellow figure with a glowing red tail-tip.

 _"Ampharos, the Light Pokémon, and the evolved form of Flaaffy,"_ Cera's Pokédex chimed in. _"The bright light on its tail can be seen from far away. It has been treasured since ancient times as a beacon."_

"Doesn't look like it's trying to help us right now," Amber said wryly. As she spoke, the Ampharos's body lit up in blue electricity, a flash of lightning blasting towards them.

They all scattered, running to avoid as the Thunder attack hit the earth, spraying dirt and rocks in the air.

Cera could see Amber and Emil taking cover behind a large boulder. Meanwhile, she pressed her back against a tree trunk, Totodile looking around it to see Ampharos.

"Is it close?" she asked her partner. Totodile nodded, keeping close to her.

Ampharos let out a cry, and Cera forced herself to watch as it sent a purple and green beam of energy into Tauros. The large Normal Type grunted angrily, but merely shook away the pain of the attack. It tamped down on the ground before charging, body glowing.

"Signal Beam and Take Down," Cera observed quietly. The two Pokémon went back and forth exchanging attacks, neither appearing any closer to giving up.

Thunder shook the sky again, and Cera turned her back to the fight again, holding Totodile closely to her chest. When she opened her eyes, the sky was dark gray, and she could barely make out anything. She looked over, feeling panic rush through her.

She couldn't see Emil, or Amber for that matter. 

Not caring about the two dangerous Pokémon fighting, she let Totodile climb onto her shoulder before running towards where she'd last seen them. Nothing. She called out to them, receiving no response.

Cera looked up, squinting against the brightness as lightning flashed across the sky, lighting everything up in a white sheen. Suddenly, a large, bulky form appeared, barely a discernible silhouette in the sky. It landed in front of Ampharos and Tauros; though, the two barely seemed to notice it as electricity veered off, barely missing Cera.

"Rock Slide!" a new voice shouted, and Cera gasped as she realized there was a person _riding_ the dark figure.

A blast rocketed the area as the figure's attack hit, and the light faded enough for Cera to get a half decent look at it. Ampharos and Tauros were gone, as was the person riding the thing. The terrain seemed different, too, somehow. It was rocky, mountainous.

The figure itself was toned in browns and grays. It had powerful horns curving from its head, and its amber eyes gleamed as it made eye contact with Cera.

Then, lightning flashed again, and it was gone. The terrain was the normal field again, and Cera could see Ampharos and Tauros laying on the ground in a daze. And, a couple yards away, stood Amber and Emil. They perked up, despite the heavy rain, as they saw Cera.

"Cera, there you are!" Amber cried. All three teenagers ran to meet each other. "You suddenly disappeared--Totodile, too. We thought we just couldn't see you through the rain, but then you didn't answer when we called for you."

Cera furrowed her eyebrows. That wasn't right. "No, _you_ guys disappeared," she argued. "I called for both of you, but you weren't there."

Amber shook her head. "Both Emil and I saw," she said. "You were gone, and then you showed up again. Like magic."

 _Like magic._ Cera glanced down. "You both suddenly were gone, and then the ground and stuff changed..."

"If we didn't see you, and your surroundings were different, I think it might have been you that went somewhere else," Emil piped up.

Cera glanced at him for a second. He had a point. "Well, I don't know where I went. Oh!" She quickly looked around. "I saw something--like a Pokémon."

"A Pokémon?" Amber repeated.

Cera nodded. "It had a person riding it, and it had big horns--its Rock Slide knocked out Ampharos and Tauros, see?" She pointed to the two large Pokémon on the ground. She nearly jumped, noticing a young man with a large gray Pokémon beside him. He knelt by Tauros, then moved on to check Ampharos.

"I don't know about horns, but that guy's Kommo-o did them in pretty well," Amber said.

"We should take cover again now that they're calmed down," Emil told them both. They nodded, all three heading to duck under the tree. The Kommo-o's Trainer stayed with the two large Pokémon, evidently unbothered by the still heavy rain. 

After a few minutes, the rain suddenly stopped, just as abruptly as it had begun. The three peeked out, walking over as Kommo-o's Trainer waved to them.

"Are you all okay?" he asked, standing up to meet them. "I know Ampharos and Tauros might have roughed you up a bit."

Cera glanced at the two Pokémon on the ground wryly. "We're okay," she said. "Where'd they come from?"

The Trainer jabbed his thumb over his shoulder behind him. "Oolite Daycare," he said, like the disturbance was nothing. "I was visiting, and I heard that they got out. Figured I'd clean up the mess."

"Visiting?" Emil asked. Cera was just as confused; this Trainer didn't look more than two years older than them. Surely he was traveling still; even after a Trainer accomplishes their initial goals, there's tons to do in a region before going to a town is just "visiting."

"I'm from Oolite Town," he explained. "The Daycare is run by my parents. Apparently Ampharos and Tauros have been a problem for them lately."

Cera fell silent, studying him for a moment. This all sounded familiar, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Well, thanks," Amber said. "I'm Amber, that's Cera and Emil."

He brightened. "Wollemia's kids?" he said with a grin. "I knew there was a resemblance! I'm Aeluro." He reached out to shake each of their hands in turn.

It clicked for Cera then, and the other two seemed to realize at the same moment. "Wait, Aeluro?" she nearly shouted. "You're from the Elite Four!"

He gave a sheepish smile, reaching to pet his Kommo-o. "That's me," he confirmed. "I try not to flaunt."

Cera turned to grin at her two companions, looking ready to burst. "He's the newest member! He only joined two years ago, he uses Fighting Types! This is so cool!" She turned back to him, ecstatic. "Could I please battle you? I can't give up an opportunity like this!"

Aeluro gave a gentle shake of his head. "Not at the moment. Right now I need to bring these two back to the Daycare. Once we know they're alright, then sure," he said. "Kommo-o, mind grabbing Tauros?"

Kommo-o gave a low growl of agreement, leaning down to pick up Tauros. Despite his short size, Aeluro easily lifted Ampharos in his arms, waving for the others to follow him to town.

They followed closely, and Cera suddenly jumped as she remembered. "Oh, Aeluro!" she called, running up to him. "Um, did you have any other Pokémon with you? When you knocked out Ampharos and Tauros?"

Aeluro glanced down at her, shifting Ampharos in his arms to open a side of his vest. Only one Poké Ball was strapped to it. "I only brought Kommo-o, why?"

Cera furrowed her eyebrows. "Is it possible one of your other Pokémon followed you or something?" she insisted. "The Pokémon I saw was big and stocky. And, it walked on four legs. Not like Kommo-o at all."

"All my Pokémon are bipedal, sorry," Aeluro responded apologetically. "Maybe it was a trick of the light. You said you saw it when I knocked them out? The lightning was pretty bad then." Cera wanted to be skeptical, but she could tell he was being genuine.

"I guess..." she said slowly. Though, she found it hard to believe she'd only seen something that wasn't really there. It'd been too clear for that. Still, she walked along, pushing back the frustration.


End file.
